LETTERS 


FROM    THE 


PACIFIC   SLOPE; 


OR 


FIRST    IMPRESSIONS. 


BY 


HARVEY    RICE. 


NEW    YORK: 

D.    APPLETON   &    COMPANY, 

90,  92  &  94  Grand  Street. 

1870. 


Entered,  according  to   the   Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870,  by 
HARVEY    RICE, 


In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for 
the  Northern  District  of  Ohio. 


CONTENTS 


LETTER    I. 

PAGE. 
From  Lake  Erie  to  the  Rocky  Mountains ft 


LETTER    II. 
From  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Salt  Lake  Valley 12 

LETTER    III, 
Suit  Lake— The  City— Polygamy 20 

LETTER    IV. 

The  Tabernacle— Worship— Proselytes 27 

LETTER    V. 

Reno— Washoe— Carson  City 'M\ 

LETTER    VI. 

Society  in  Carson— Visit  to  Lake  Tahoe 43 

LETTER    VII. 
Stage  Ride— Lake  Donner— Sacramento 50 

LETTER    VIII. 

From  Sacramento  to  San  Francisco— The  City 59 

LETTER    IX. 
Sand-Hills— Windmills— Chinese— Climate 67 


256736 


IV. 

LETTER    X. 
Churches— Nationalities— Fruits— Cliff  House 77 

LETTER    XL 
A  Drive— Oakland— Alameda— Earthquake 85 

LETTER    Xll. 

Sea  Voyage  to  Los  Angeles— Ranch  Life 93 

LETTER    XIII. 
Anaheim— Its  Vineyards— San  Diego 102 

LETTER    XIV. 

Suspicious  Passenger— Los  Angeles— San  Bernardino 110 

LETTER    XV. 
Return  Voyage— Earthquake  Theory— Asiatics 119 

LETTER    XVI. 

Yosemite— Big  Trees- Geysers— Nature 127 


LETTEB,  I. 


SnE!iMAN,  St'ptember  23(1,  WJ9. 

The  time  has  hecii  when  a  journey  overland 
to  California  partook  of  the  marvelous.  But 
now  the  trip  has  lost  its  former  import,  and 
amounts  to  little  more  than  a  pleasure  excursion. 
And  yet  it  is  really  a  marvel,  that  we  can  now 
traverse  a  vast  continent  in  seven  or  eight  days, 
instead  of  consuming  seven  or  eight  months,  as 
was  done  by  the  early  emigrants.  In  fact,  the 
only  difficulty  to  be  overcome,  now,  is  simply — to 
start.  We  started — myself  and  wife — in  Septem- 
ber, hSdi) ;  the  year  made  meniorai)le  l»y  the  com- 
pletion of  the  great  trans-continental  railway. 

In  Avhat  I  may  have  to  say,  you  will  probably 
recognize  but  little  that  is  neAv ;  for  I  am  well 
aware  that  this  is  a  reading  age,  and  that  almost 
everybody  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  lead- 
ing cliaracteristics  of  the  Pacific  Slope.  Yet  it  is 
])ossible  my  impressions  of  the  golden   land  may 


6  LETTERS    FROM 

serve  to  umuse  you,  if  they  sliould  not  instruct. 

From  the  Southern  Shore  of  Lake  Erie  to 
Council  Bhiffs,  tlie  general  aspect  of  the  country 
is  somewhat  monotonous,  being  for  the  most  part 
a  rich  alluvial  plain  of  vast  extent,  enliven- 
ed by  cultivated  fields  and  small  farm-houses, 
and  begemmed  liere  and  there  with  infant  vil- 
lages and  pretentious  young  cities.  The  railroad 
bridge  Avhich  spans  the  Mississippi  and  connects 
Eock  Island  Avith  Davenport,  is  a  splendid  struc- 
ture, about  two  miles  long. 

On  arriving  at  Council  Bluft's,  formerly  the 
limit  of  western  civilization,  we  found  ourselves 
ushered  into  a  new  region,  seeming  not  only 
strange,  but  peculiar  in  its  geological  formation. 
The  bluffs  consist  of  a  collection  of  conical  sand- 
hills, barren  in  appearance,  yet  graceful  in  out- 
line. They  look  like  a  platoon  of  grenadiers 
drawn  up  in  military  attitude  to  i^rotect  from  in- 
yasion  the  rich  valleys  of  the  Missouri.  ^Ye  pass- 
ed them  unchallenged.  The  town  derives  its 
name  from  the  fact  that  the  explorers,  Lewis  and 
Clarke,  in  1804,  held  a  council  here  with  the  lu- 
dians.  Tlie  plucc  has  now  become  a  city,  con- 
taining about  twelve  thousand  inhabitants.  Her 
citizens,  it  is  said,  regard  Omaha,  Avhich  is  situat- 
ed on  the  western  l)ank  of  tlie  river,  as  an  in- 
trusive rival,  aiul  ol'tcn  speak  of  her. 'ironically, 


THE    I'ACLI-IC    SLOPE.  7 

US  "ii  twill  sister"  born  too  late  in  life  to  take 
precedence  in  the  commercial  circle  of  that 
country. 

Yet  Omaha  is  equally  plucky,  and  enter- 
tains no  fears  of  being  eclipsed,  though  born  as 
late  as  1854.  She  has  a  population  of  nearly 
twenty  thousand.  When  the  railroad  bridge 
across  the  Missouri  is  completed,  she  will  keep 
her  foot  in  the  stirrup,  and  continue  to  advance 
with  a  still  higher  degree  of  self-assurance.  The 
distance  between  the  two  cities  is  four  miles. 
The  river  is  about  a  mile  wide,  turbid  and  treach- 
erous. We  were  transferred  on  a  steam  ferry  boat, 
keeping  our  seats  in  the  omnibus  the  meantime ; 
and  were  deposited  like  so  much  freight,  uncere- 
moniously, at  the  grand  depot  of  the  Pacific  road 
in  Omaha.  Here  we  found  the  train,  consisting  of 
eight  passenger  cars,  ready  and  waiting  with 
steam  up  to  recei\'e  us.  In  "  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye "'  our  party  was  thrust  on  l)oard,  bag  and  bag- 
gage, when  the  whistle  gave  the  signal,  and  the 
impatient  steam-horse  snuffed  the  air  with  a 
spasmodic  puff,  and  then  took  to  his  lieels.  head- 
ed for  the  Eocky  Mountains.  In  leaving  Oinalia, 
Ave  left  the  old  "  Far  West "  "behind  us,  which,  by 
the  people  on  the  Pacific  coast,  is  now  called  the 
"  Far  East."  In  tlie  progress  of  the  age  the  Far 
West  has  been  obliterated,  and  is  now  no  where 


8  LETTERS   FROM 

to  be  found.  The  great  Platte  River  Valley  upon 
which  we  now  entered,  running  with  almost 
lightning  speed,  presents  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  lovely  landscapes,  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  that  I  ever  beheld, — a  vast  sweep  of  level 
plains,  waving  Avith  tall  grass  and  wild  flowers, 
and  dotted,  for  the  first  fifty  miles,  with  corn 
fields,  stubble  fields,  shorn  meadows,  and  humble 
cabins.  In  point  of  soil  it  is  a  rich  country,  but 
deficient  in  its  supplies  of  living  water,  as  well  as 
entirely  destitute  of  timber. 

While  in  the  Platte  Valley,  we  were  suddenly 
overtaken  by  a  terrific  thunder  storm,  attended 
with  a  violent  wind  and  rain.  The  storm  occur- 
red in  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  and  continued 
for  an  hour  or  more.  It  seemed  as  if  the  artillery 
of  Heaven  had  been  brought  into  conflict,  firing 
by  regiments  in  every  direction.  We  could  see 
the  electric  fluid  roll  like  cannon  balls  down  the 
sky  and  over  the  vast  plains.  The  scene  was  as 
sublime  as  it  was  terrific,  and  awed  every  })assen- 
ger  into  silence.  But  in  the  morning,  after  the 
storm  had  passed,  all  nature  seemed  regenerated, 
and  looked  as  beautiful  as  a  young  bride  at  her 
marriage  festival. 

Though  you  may  imagine  that  these  plains 
must  appear  monotonous  and  unattractive,  yet  in 
proceeding  westward   you   see  many   filings  that 


THE    PACIIIC    SLOPE.  9 

coiistcintly  interest  you,  novel  sights  of  a  singular 
character,  accompanied  with  more  or  less  amus- 
ing incidents.  As  we  Hew  steaming  and  puffing 
over  this  silent  and  uninhabited  region,  we  fre- 
(|uent]y  startled  herds  of  antelope  feeding  near 
the  wayside,  who  ran,  hounding  gracefully  over 
the  plain,  until  lost  in  the  distance.  In  one  in- 
stance Ave  saw  two  bears  walking  leisurely  amid 
the  sage-brush,  Avithin  two  hundred  rods  of  the 
train,  and  seeming  to  care  for  nothing  but  them- 
selves. We  also  passed  tlirough  many  villages 
whose  only  denizens  are  prairie  dogs,  a  very  pret- 
ty little  animal,  resembling  the  fox  squirrel,  and 
about  the  same  size.  They  play,  frolic,  and  bark 
within  a  stone's  throAV  of  the  passing  cars.  Their 
houses  are  built  of  sand  cemented  with  clay,  and 
located  near  each  other  Avith  narrow  interA^ening 
streets,  and  are  entered  through  a  circular  door- 
way. They  are  conical  in  structure  aiul  resemble 
potato-hills.  The  flesh  of  these  animals  is  deli- 
cate. At  one  of  the  stations  our  breakfast  table 
Avas  furnished  Avith  a  dish  of  prairie  dog  in  the 
form  of  a  stcAv.  "We  Avere  often  regaled  Avith  an- 
telope steaks  at  other  stations — a  kind  of  meat 
Avliicli  Ave  A'ery  much  preferred,  and  Avhich  most 
of  the  passengers  regarded  as  perfectly  delicious. 
As  Ave  approached  what  is  called  the  Rocky 
^fountain  range.  Ave  kept  a  sliarp  lookout  for  tlie 


10  LETTERS    FROM 

mountains,  with  the  expectation  of  catching  a 
sublime  A'iew  of  their  lofty  grandeur.  But  in 
Yain.  We  arrived  at  Sherman,  the  highest  point 
in  the  route,  an  elevation  of  more  than  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  before 
we  became  conscious  of  having  reached  even 
their  base.  The  truth  is,  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
in  the  direction  of  the  railway,  are  but  a  myth — 
nothing  but  an  elevated  plain  on  a  vast  scale, 
with  here  and  there  a  low  range  of  cobble-stones 
embedded  in  bluffs,  which  look  like  the  bank  of  a 
dried  up  river  Avhose  opposite  bank  has  been  re- 
moved, or  lost  in  the  even  surface  of  the  adjoining 
plain.  The  grade  over  this  elevated  plain,  both 
the  ascent  and  descent,  for  the  whole  distance,  is 
so  easy  that  in  passing  you  would  scarcely  perceive 
it.  The  country  produces  little  else  than  sage- 
brush and  a  few  dwarf  pines. 

The  town  of  Sherman,  at  present,  but  a  sta- 
tion, is  located  on  the  very  apex  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains,  the  backbone  of  a  continent,  five 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  of  Omaha.  The  at- 
mosphere is  so  clear  that  you  can  see  Pike's  Peak 
looming  up  in  the  south,  at  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  miles.  The  town  is  in- 
debted to  General  Sherman  for  its  name,  who  is 
the  tallest,  and  I  might  say,  the  bravest  and  most 
srallant  general    that  held  a  commission   in   the 


THE   I'Al  ll'lc   si.opi:.  11 

Union  army,  durmg  the  l\ebellion.  His  famous 
'•  march  to  the  sea  "  has  immortalized  his  name, 
and  addrd  a  lirilHant  paire  to  the  history  of  his 
eonntrv. 


LETTER  II. 


Uintah,  September  25tli,  IHO'.t. 

It  was  at  Sherman  that  we  commenced  our 
descent  down  the  Pacific  Slope.  From  tliat  point 
which  is  the  continental  watershed,  the  waters 
divide  and  flow  in  opposite  directions,  west  to  the 
Pacific,  and  east  to  the  Atlantic  ocean.  The  de- 
scent is  like  the  ascent,  so  gradual  that  you  would 
scarcely  perceive  it.  The  Black  Hills  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  distance,  which  take  their  name  from 
the  fact  that  they  are  clad  with  pines,  giving 
them  a  dark  and  gloomy  appearance.  It  is  a 
wild  region,  the  favorite  domain  of  still  wilder 
Indians,  who,  in  addition  to  their  pastimes  of 
hunting  and  fishing,  frequently  attack  and  plun- 
der emigrant  trains  and  other  parties  of  white 
men  passing  through  the  country.  Not  long 
since  a  skirmish  occurred  near  here  between  the 
Indians  and  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  who  had 
J)een  sent  out  from  the  Fort  for  the  ])u'r])ose  of 


THE    l'A(  IFK     SLOPE.  13 

recoverin<f  stolen  horses.  In  the  encounter  three 
Indians  and  one  white  man  were  killed.  Soon 
after  passing  Sherman,  we  were  overtaken  by  a 
freakish  snow  storm,  the  first  of  the  season,  which 
whitened  tlie  ground  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three 
inches.  The  country  here  assumes  a  new  aspect, 
being  diversified  with  a  multitude  of  rounded 
hills  as  naked  as  when  born  into  the  world,  and 
yet  resembling  the  ruins  of  old  dilapidated  cities. 
Here  and  there  you  will  recognize  among  them  a 
hill  still  retaining  the  pefect  outline  of  an  old 
church  of  the  gothic  style,  an  ancient  castle  per- 
haps of  the  feudal  age,  or  a  weather-beaten  farm- 
house, such  as  Avere  built  in  early  days  by  the 
New  England  Puritans.  It  would  seem  as  if  Na- 
ture, tired  of  waiting  for  man,  had  liere  under- 
taken to  build  cities  on  her  own  account,  and  had 
succeeded. 

In  this  direction  there  is  a  plenty  of  wild 
game,  antelope,  elk,  black  tailed  deer,  bear, 
grouse,  sage  hens,  with  an  abundance  of  fish  in 
the  lakes  and  rivulets.  In  the  summer  it  is  a 
perfect  paradise  for  sportsmen,  and  so  healthful 
that  a  dyspeptic  could  not  die  if  he  would,  unless 
he  should  resort  to  medicine.  Here  Nature 
iieals  the  sick  and  works  miracles,  and  is  too  be- 
nevolent to  charge  a  fee  for  it. 

Lake  Como.  A\l)ich   lies  near  the  road   and   in 


14  LETTERS    FROM 

full  view,  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  Avater,  nearly  two 
miles  long  by  one  wide,  and  contains  fiye  or  six 
excellent  yarieties  of  fish.  It  is  also  a  favorite 
locality  for  ducks.  At  Carbon  Station,  a  little 
west  from  here,  was  discovered  the  first  mineral 
coal  found  on  the  line  of  the  Pacific  Union  Road. 
The  coal  is  abundant  and  of  excellent  quality, 
and  is  now  mined  and  shipped  to  eastern  towns 
in  large  quantities.  Coal  mines  of  equal  value 
have  since  been  discovered  at  different  points 
along  the  road,  some  of  which  are  noAv  worked 
with  remunerating  success. 

At  Bitter  Creek,  you  reach  a  locality  which 
has  been  made  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  early 
emigrants.  The  water  is  so  strongly  impregnated 
with  alkali,  that  neither  man  nor  beast  can  drink 
it  with  safety.  The  banks  of  the  creek  are  marshy 
and  dangerous  of  approach,  Avith  evidences  of 
coal  oil  floating  on  the  surface.  The  Avhitened 
bones  of  horses  and  cattle  and  of  man,  that  are 
still  to  be  seen  along  this  valley,  sufficiently  indi- 
cate the  route  pursued  in  former  years  by  emi- 
grants and  freighters.  They  often  arrived  here, 
overcome  Avith  thirst;  drank  from  necessity  and 
died.  After  leaving  the  valley  of  this  modern 
Merali,  Ave  soon  glided  into  the  valley  of  Green 
RiA'er.  Much  of  the  Avay  the  bluffs  are  bold  and 
precipitous.      Not  far  away,  on   the   SweetAvater 


'I'lIK    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  15 

River,  gold  mines  have  been  discovered,  which  are 
said  to  be  rich,  and  which  are  now  worked  with 
considerable  success.  And  now  as  we  proceed, 
the  hills  and  bluffs  often  approach  within  a  few 
rods  of  the  track,  presenting  a  perpendicular 
front  of  naked  wall,  composed  of  sandstone,  and 
laid  up  in  range-work,  like  solid  luasonry.  These 
walls  are  in  some  instances  hundreds  of  feet  high, 
and  look  as  if  built  in  the  days  when  there  were 
••ffiants  on  the  eai'th."  The  Church  Buttes  are 
so  called,  because  they  resemble  churches.  They 
are  simply  earth  elevations,  having  a  church-like 
outline,  larger  than  hills,  yet  smaller  than  moun- 
tains, which  have  arisen,  without  regard  to  order, 
out  of  the  surface  of  an  extensive  jilain.  On 
first  view  they  surprise  the  beholder  and  rivet  his 
attention  like  a  passing  panorama  of  wonders. 
The  moss-agates,  which  are  so  prized  when  pol- 
ished and  wrought  into  jewels  for  the  ear,  breast, 
and  fingers,  abound  here,  and  along  the  whole 
line  of  the  road  from  Green  Eiver  to  Piedmont, 
They  are  found  lying  loose  on  the  top  of  the 
bluffs,  and  within  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  where 
the  winds  Inive  blown  away  tiie  sand.  They  are 
l)robal)ly  the  result  of  vok-aiiie  or  cU'ctrieal  heat, 
and  were  originally  formed  in  the  sandstone 
rocks,  where  they  still  lie  embedded  in  large 
numbers.     How  this  could  have  occurred  aud  flu> 


16  LETTERS    FROM 

agates  still  retain  the  imprint  of  mosses  of  the 
most  delicate  textnre,  is  a  marvel.  We  purchased 
a  few  specimens  from  pedlers  Avho  offer  them  for 
sale  on  the  cars  as  well  as  at  the  stations. 

Many  of  the  stations  take  their  names  from 
some  novel  circumstance,  or  historical  fact.  We 
passed  one  called  "Lone  Tree."  The  tree  that 
stands  there  is  the  only  one  to  be  seen  in  that  re- 
gion. Bridger  Station  takes  its  name  from  one 
James  Bridger,  who  was  a  famous  hunter  in  these 
parts,  some  forty  years  ago.  Fort  Bridger,  not 
far  from  here,  is  still  more  famous  as  the  military 
post  or  locality  where  the  Mormons,  led  by  Orson 
Pratt,  on  the  23d  of  November.  185T,  in  the 
night,  and  amid  a  driving  snow  storm,  attacked 
and  robbed  the  supply  train  on  its  way  to  the 
western  army,  commanded  by  (leneral  Johnson. 
The  train  had  encamped  for  the  night,  and  con- 
sisted of  one  hundred  and  sixty  wagons,  and  a 
party  of  tAvo  hundred  and  thirty  persons.  The 
Mormons  seized  the  supplies,  and  burned  the 
wagons,  and  left  the  party  to  starve  and  die  in 
the  wilderness,  a  thousand  miles  away  from  the 
border  settlements.  Only  eight  of  the  party  sur- 
vived the  wintei,  aiul  they  did  not  reach  home 
until  the  next  June.  The  Mormons  feasted  on 
the  supplies  in  tlie  meantime,  while  Johnson's 
army  were  put  du  shoil  rations.     For  tliis  nierci- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  17 

le.ss  outnigc  the  (ioveriinient  h;is  never  punished 
the  Mornmns,  or  taken  official  action  in  reference 
to  it.  Though  mercy  be  a  divine  attribute,  the 
exliibition  of  too  much  of  it,  as  in  this  case,  be- 
comes not  only  a  moral,  but  a  political  evil. 

The  Wahsatch  ^Mountains  are  not  generally 
hum'.  l)ut  form  a  rancfc  of  irregular,  l)roken  liills 
and  peaks  Avith  l)ald  lieads,  and  intervening 
gorges,  dee]),  dark,  and  sometimes  fearful.  It 
is  here  a  desolate,  silent,  voiceless  region  of 
country,  and  like  much  of  the  country  through 
whicli  we  liavi'  i)assed,  })roduces  little  else  than 
sage-brush  and  grease  wood.  In  passing  along 
Echo  canyon  we  plunged  into  the  bowels  of  one 
of  the  mountains,  running  through  a  tunnel 
seven  hundred  and  seventy  feet,  the  longest  on 
the  Pacific  Union  Koad,  and  emerging  into  a 
beautiful  ^ale,  as  green,  fresh,  and  flowery  as 
Eden.  This  vale  is  one  of  Nature's  favorite  re- 
treats, a  garden  hidden  aAvay  among  these  deso- 
late mountains.  Here  she  has  Avatered  the  soil 
with  perennial  rills,  and  cultivated  its  fiowers 
with  a  woman's  luuul. 

Near  this,  we  passed  what  is  called  the  Castle 
Kocks.  which  overhang  the  railway,  and  tower 
into  the  sky  from  five  liundred  to  two  tlnni- 
sand  feet.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  tlie  l)t'au- 
ties.  wonders,  aiul   sublimities  of  the   scene.     At 


18  LETTEKS    FROM 

one  point,  u  thousand  feet  above  the  ])ed  of  the 
canyon  which  is  narrowed  here  to  a  mere  })ath- 
way,  the  Mormons  in  1857.  built  a  fortilica- 
tion  and  placed  on  the  rim  of  the  precipice  a 
long  line  of  huge  stones  with  a  view  to  crush 
Johnson's  army  when  it  should  attempt  to  pass, 
by  rolling  the  stones  down  on  his  soldiers.  But 
for  some  reason  they  did  not  carry  into  execution 
this  murderous  scheme. 

In  proceeding  along  the  river  down  Weber 
canyon,  one  becomes  convinced  that  Nature 
graded  the  route  with  the  expectation  that  a  rail- 
way would  be  l)uilt  here  some  day.  By  the  ajv 
plication  of  some  tremendous  force,  perhaps  with 
nitro-glycerine,  she  split  open  the  mountain 
range  for  miles,  leaving  the  side  Avails  just  Avide 
enough  apart  to  admit  of  a  free  and  easy  passage ; 
and  to  make  it  plain,  penciled  the  track  with 
AVeber  Eiver.  No  human  engineer  could  mistake 
the  design,  or  accomplish  such  a  work.  On  the 
bank  of  the  riA^er  stands  a  tree  of  much  interest 
to  travelers,  the  solitary  pine,  labeled  '"'  1000 
miles  IVom  Omaha,"  and  near  it  you  2)ass  the 
"devil's  slide,'"'  a  narroAV  path  doAvn  an  abrujit  de- 
clivity Avith  a  fence  twenty  feet  high  on  each  side, 
constructed  by  Nature  of  huge  flagging  stone  set 
edgcAvisi'  in  tlic  ground,  '^riu'  slide  descends  in 
a  straiii'lit  line,  ami  is  more  than  a  llionsaud   iVet 


TIIK    I'AClI'lc    SLOI'K.  19 

l()n<;\  IIowL'Vor  slippery  the  doscont.  it  is  evident 
the  devil's  sled  cuiuiot  iiy  the  tniek.  Whether  he 
draws  his  sled  back  or  slides  hack,  I  cannot  say, 
bnt  everybody  knows  lie  is  a  backslider.  Very 
good  men  in  the  church  sometimes  accuse  each 
other  of  the  same  sin.  A  little  westward  from 
this  slide  comes  the  "  devil's  gate/'  a  fearful  pass 
l)etween  two  perpendicular  rocks  or  gate  posts, 
more  than  a  thousand  feet  high.  The  gate  is 
supposed  to  have  been  demolished  Avhen  his  Sa- 
tanic Majesty  with  undue  haste  and  violence, 
threw  it  wide  open  to  let  the  Mormons  pass  into 
Salt  Lake  Valley.  In  five  minutes  after  emerg- 
ing from  Weber  canyon,  we  reached  Uintah,  the 
first  station  in  the  holy  land  of  many  wives. 
From  here  we  go  by  stage  to  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  distance  is  thirtv  miles. 


LETTER  III. 


Salt  Lake  City,  September  27th,  1869. 

The  stage-route  by  wliicli  we  came  from  Uin- 
tah to  this  '•  much  married  "  city,  winds  along  the 
base  of  the  mountains  which  encircle  this  great 
valley,  as  if  to  guard  it  from  the  profane  intru- 
sion of  the  outside  world.  The  dark  blue  waters 
of  Salt  Lake  slumbered  calmly  on  our  right,  and 
occupy  a  central  })osition  in  the  valley.  It  is 
about  seventy-tive  miles  long  by  ten  wide.  In  its 
centre  there  looms  up  a  mountain  island,  which 
gleams  like  an  emrralil  sut  in  c'l)0uy.  Its  outline  is 
oval.  '^rhc  extensive  meadow-like  plains  that 
border  on  tlie  Lake  are  rich  and  beautiful,  and 
divided  into  ranches  occupied  for  the  most  part 
])y  j\Ionu()ns.  Tlu'  margin  of  the  Lake  is  en- 
crusted with  crystal ized  salt  of  excellent  cpuility, 
which  the  ])eo]de  here  generally  use  for  domestic 
))urposes,  and  wliicli  any  one  may  shovel  up  and 
carrv  awav  bv  tlu-  wa<jon   load,  if  he  cares  to  do 


THE    l'A(  IIIC    SJ.Ul'E.  21 

SO.     Ill  otlu-r  word.s,  lu-ro  are  Xatuiv'.s  salt  works. 

In  passing  aroinul  the  spur  of  a  mountain  as 
\vc  ai)proaclK'(l  the  eity,,  we  drove  througli  tlie 
I'apid  current  of  a  hot  spring  flowing  from  the 
mountain's  base,  and  steaming  with  offensive 
gases,  and  so  heated  that  \ou  eould  not  hold 
your  hand  in  it.  Its  volume  is  quite  large,  almost 
a  rivulet,  and  its  Avaters  are  said  to  be  highly  es- 
teemed for  their  luedieimil  properties.  Springs  of 
a  like  character  abound  still  nearer  the  city,  and 
L'ven  within  its  limits,  Avhere  several  bathing- 
houses  have  been  erected  to  which  Brigham  and 
his  disciples  often  resort  and  undergo  ablutions 
wliicli.  I  doubt  not,  they  much  need;  and  yet  I 
•  pR'stion  whether  the  waters,  though  heated  to  a 
scald,  could  cleanse  them  from  their  moral  leprosy. 

Near  the  city,  and  along  the  roadside,  are  still 
to  be  seen  the  dilapidated  walls  of  several  old 
fortifications,  black  as  tar,  and  originally  built 
ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  enclosing  plats  of  ground 
broad  enough  to  accommodate  an  army  of  ten 
thousand  men.  The  Avails  are  one  continuous 
solid  mass,  and  appear  to  be  constructed  of  ce- 
ment made  of  gravel  and  asphaltum,  impenetra- 
ble to  musket  balls.  The  Mormons  erected  these 
walls  in  1857,  as  we  Avere  told,  for  the  purpose 
of  defending  the  Holy  City  against  the  crusade 
of  the  Federal  troops,  then  in  command  of  Gen. 


22  I.HTTK'.IS    FROM 

Johnson,  who  had  been  sent  to  Utuli  by  the  (Jov- 
ernniont  Avith  orders  to  see  that  the  hiws  of  C'<tn- 
gress  were  diil\  ciitui-ci'd. 

^'erv  sonii  after  passing  the  iorlitieations  we 
entered  the  city  proper,  and  took  lodgings  at  a 
Mormon  hotel.  Here  we  fonnd  excellent  aceom- 
inixhiiituis.  and  (hiring  onr  stay  wei"e  tivated  witli 
all  the  attention  and  i»oliteness  we  eonld  desiiv. 
Wi'  observed  nothing.  Avhile  at  the  hotel,  which 
indneed  us  tn  bflirve  that  it  ditfered  in  any  re- 
spect I'rom  other  iirst  class  hotels;  and  yet.  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  onr  landlord  rejoiced  in  the  pos- 
session of  hve  wives,  if  joy  there  can  I)e  in  Inn- 
ing live  times  too  much  (•(■  a  good  thing.  Tlic 
first  wife  was,  apparently,  jjast  middle  age.  wore  a 
faded  calico  dress  and  a  downcast  look,  and  seem- 
ed unhappy.  The  second  appeared  much  young- 
er and  prettier,  was  clad  in  silks  and  jewels,  and 
had  the  general  superintendence  of  the  servants 
and  of  the  household.  The  other  three,  it  Avas 
said,  kept  house  by  themselves  in  different  parts 
of  the  toAvn.  and  took  charge  of  their  owji  child- 
ren and  family  affairs :  yet  Avere,  in  fact,  sujiported 
by  the  landlord,  their  common  husband.  Hoav 
many  children  he  has  by  his  five  Avives,  Ave  did 
not  learn,  but  they  arc  said  to  be  numerous. 
He  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  Avealth,  and  in  his 
style  of  manners  has  the  appearance   of  an    ac- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  23 

complislied  gentleman.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine; 
apparently  abont  sixty  years  old,  and  has  resided 
in  Salt  Lake  City  twenty  years. 

On  .Sunday  we  attended  cliureh,  and  heard 
Brighani  Young  preach.  lie  had  a  full  house, 
and  ajipearcd  to  be  a  man  of  much  more  jiolish 
and  culture  than  I  expected  to  see,  from  all  I  had 
lieard  said  of  him.  llis  language  was  select,  and 
his  style  of  oratory  earnest,  talkative  and  sincere. 
He  indulged  in  no  expressions  which  could  be  re- 
garded as  inconsistent  with  good  taste ;  yet  when 
contradicted  or  irritated,  it  is  said,  he  sometimes 
employs  coarse  and  unqualified  language.  Ho 
evidently  feels  and  knows  that  he  is  the  acknowl- 
edged dictator  and  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church 
in  Mormondom.  It  must  be  admitted  that  he  is 
a  shrewd  tactician,  decidedly  foxy,  and  ever  ready 
in  adopting  expetiients.  If  this  were  not  so,  he 
could  never  have  achieved  what  he  has.  If  not  a 
great  genius,  he  is  certainly  no  ordinary  man. 
This  was  my  impression  of  him  at  first  sight. 
His  discourse  was  not  Avritten,  nor  did  he  take  a 
text,  but  proceeded  at  once  to  give  utterance  to 
his  train  of  thought.  If  I  had  not  known  who 
he  was,  I  should  not  have  questioned  the  ortho- 
doxy of  his  discourse,  until  he  alluded  to  the 
subject  of  polygamy.  In  this  allusion  he  pro- 
nounced it  a  divine  institution,  and  then  remark- 


24  LKTTKKS    KltOM 

ed  that  tin-  outside  world  called  it  his  "  iieouliar 
institution."  He  said  tliei'e  was  really  notliing 
})ecii]iai'  ahiiiit  it,  and  declared  tliat.  i)()ly^ainy 
was  saiiclioued  hv  Ixilli  tile  Old  and  New  Testa- 
nient,  as  well  as  by  the  i)resent  ciistoiiis  of  inan- 
kiiid  ill  various  ))arts  of  the  civilized  world.  ]Ic 
also  declared  the  liook  ol'  .Mornion.  n  |)i\iiie  Rev- 
elation, because  he  knew  it  to  be  such,  asserting 
that  the  "  Ijatrer  Day  Saints"  are  the  only  true 
chosen  people  ol"  (Jod.  He  said  all  other  systems 
of  reli<;"ioii  hail  failed  in  their  object,  and  that 
the  new  revelation  became  a  necessity,  and  is 
therefore  the  true  "light  of  the  world.''  Jle  call- 
ed Christ  his  elder  brother,  and  claiined  the  ))ow- 
er  of  working'  niiratdes.  In  conclusioii,  he  a[)- 
l)ealed  to  the  women  to  be  submissive  to  their 
condition,  and  iir^cd  this  as  a  religious  duty, 
lie  told  them  that  (Jod  destined  them  to  become 
the  mothers  of  mankind,  and  that  they  were 
made  wives  and  mothers  in  the  providence  of 
God,  for  the  pnr])Ose  of  building  up  Zion  for 
••'  Zion's  sake." 

In  personal  appearance,  lii'igham  is  a  tine 
looking  gentleman,  tall  and  portly,  easy  and  self- 
possessed  in  manner,  dresses  elegantly,  is  about 
seventy  years  of  age,  yet  appears  much  younger, 
and  weighs  at  least  two  hundred.  Tie  has  more 
wives    than    pounds    of    llesh.       l\'    distributed 


THE    PACIFIC    .SLOPE.  25 

among-  them,  he  wouldn't  go  round  at  a  pound 
apiece.  He  has  wives  celestial  and  wives  terres- 
tial.  Of  tlie  celestial  there  are  several  hundred: 
of  the  terrestial  some  forty  or  rift3\  The  former 
are  pious,  confiding-  old  ladies,  wlio  have  lost 
their  charms,  and  only  claim  the  iirivilege  of  pin- 
ning tlu'ir  faitli  to  his  sleeve.  Tlie  latter  are 
still  })ossessed  of  considerable  youth  and  beauty, 
and  have  the  privilege  of  "building  up  Zion.'' 
HoAv  many  children  Brigham  really  has,  is  not 
known,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  he  knows ;  but  they 
say  he  has  somewhere  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty.  In  providing  for  their  education,  he 
erected  especially  for  them  a  large  two-story 
school  house,  which  Juis  now  Ijecome  too  small 
to  accommodate  them.  He  has  nineteen  or 
twenty  favorite  wives.  Avho  (K'eu])y  distinct  dwell- 
ings in  diflerent  parts  of  tlie  city.  He  visits 
them  occasionally,  and  so  far  as  they  are  unable 
to  take  eare  of  themselves,  he  i)rovides  for 
them.  The  salvation  of  every  woman  who  mar- 
ries Brigham  or  any  of  his  church  dignitaries,  is 
considered  al)solutely  certain.  Hence,  their  sys- 
tem of  celestial  marriages  embraces  old  women 
as  Avell  as  young,  and  often  women  who  have 
been  in  their  graves  for  years.  The  nuptial  cer- 
emonies are  iierformed  in  church.  In  marrvinji 
a  deceased  woman,  the  bridegroom  appears  before 


•>(J  LETTERS    FKO.M 

the  priest,  locked  arm  in  arm  with  a  living  wife, 
who  consents  to  the  nuptials,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  iiivisi))le  hridc:  in  this  way  the  de- 
parted woman  is  sealed  to  an  earthly  lnisl)and  in 
celestial  marriage.  The  faithful,  especially  the 
wicloAvs,  believe  in  celestial  marriages:  and  of 
course  are  all  anxious  to  secure  their  salvation  by 
becoming  sealed  as  celestial  wives  to  Brigham,  or 
to  some  one  of  his  divine  officials  in  the  church. 
The  Mormons  claim  that  all  within  the  pale  of 
their  church  are  brothers  and  sisters  in  a  natural 
as  well  as  spiritual  sense,  and  therefore  hold,  that 
intermarriages  without  regard  to  the  degiee  of 
consanguinity  are  in  perfect  accordance  Avith  the 
dictates  of  God  and  Nature.  AVhile  we  were  in 
the  city,  a  brother  married  his  sister,  as  Ave  Avere 
credibly  informed. 

The  priesthood  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  father 
and  daughter,  mother  and  son,  may,  Avithout  vio- 
lating either  natural  or  divine  law',  intermarry,  if 
they  choose.  Such  is  polygamy  in  its  tendency 
and  in  its  most  revolting  form.  Is  there  no  rem- 
edy ?  The  time  is  rapidly  approaching,  I  trust, 
Avhen  this  corroding  stain,  this  foul  plague-spot 
on  our  national  escutcheon,  Avill  be  forever  oblit- 
erated, and  that  too,  Avithout  the  hope  of  a  resur- 
rection. And  yet  what  can  be  done,  or  Avhat  Avill 
be  done,  remains  to  be  seen. 


LETTER  IV. 


Salt  Lake  City,  September  28th,  18C9. 

In  the  afternoon,  on  Snnda}',  religions  ser- 
vices Avere  held  in  the  great  Mormon  Tabernacle 
l)y  the  snbordinate  members  of  the  priesthood. 
Brigham  does  not  often  i)reach,  and  when  he 
does,  he  prefers  to  preach  in  the  Chapel  which  is 
mnch  smaller  than  the  tabernacle,  and  in  which 
it  is  much  easier  for  him  to  speak  since  he  has 
worn  his  lungs  "threadbare,"  as  he  expresses  it,  by 
the  public  speaking  he ,  has  done  in  the  last 
twenty-five  years. 

Both  the  chapel  and  tabernacle  are  enclosed 
in  the  same  lot  or  square,  of  ten  acres,  by  a  close 
substantial  fence  or  Avail,  fifteen  feet  high,  and  en- 
tered through  massive  prison-like  gates.  The 
tabernacle  is  an  immense  structure,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  long  by  one  hundred  and  fifty 
broad,  and  ninety-fiA^e  feet  high.  It  is  oval  in  its 
outline,   roof   and   sides,  and   looks  like   a  huge 


28  J.K'ITKHS    IKOM 

land  tiirtk'  .staiuliiig  niotioiilcss  in  its  tracks. 
'I'lic  roof  rests  on  tho  side  walls,  and  has  no  in- 
side pillars  to  support  it.  It  is  suid  to  be  the  largest 
building  ever  erected  in  this  conntrv.  without 
having  interior  columns.  It  will  seat  ten  tiiou- 
saiul  people.  At  one  end  there  is  an  elevated 
platform  liri»ad  enough  to  accoiumodate  the  en- 
tire priesthood,  which  consists  of  Brigham  as  Di- 
vine Master,  his  three  divine  ct)unselors,  twelve 
apostles,  and  seventy  elders.  On  this  i)latform 
there  stands  a  magnilicent  oigaii.  brilliantly  gild- 
ed in  front,  which  is  seventy-tive  feet  high,  and 
thirty-hve  wide.  It  was  built  by  a  ^Moiinon. 
Its  t(»nes  are  as  heavy  as  the  multering  thunders, 
and  yet  as  sweet  as  the  music  of  the  spheres.  AVe 
were  politely  seated  by  the  usher  in  a  front  seat, 
below,  Avith  the  audience.  There  are  no  galleries, 
'i'lie  iiouse  was  well  lillrd,  i»rol)ably  not  less  than 
six  or  eight  thousand  i)eople  were  in  attendance. 
The  priesthood  occupied  the  platform,  and,  judg- 
ing from  their  numbers,  I  should  suppose  they 
were  all  there  except  Brigham,  "who  seldom  attends 
service  in  the  afternoon.  The  women  occupied 
the  central  seats  in  the  main  body  of  the  taberna- 
cle, and  the  men  encircled  them  n)uud  al)out  like  a 
hoop.  I  never  before  saw  such  a  sea  of  upturned, 
credulous  faces,  as  I  beheld  in  this  assemblage. 
There  were  twice  as  manv  women  as  meii.  and 


THE    I'AriFlC    SLOPE.  29 

'•'such  beauties  did  they  groAv,"  that  you  woukl 
have  fancied  yourself  auywliere  else  than  in  a  field 
of  lilies.  The  audience  was  composed  of  almost 
every  nationality  kno"\vn  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 
They  all  seemed  absorljed  in  the  services,  which 
consisted  in  singing,  reports  from  returned  mission- 
aries, and  a  ram])ling  hit-and-miss  discourse  from 
one  of  Brigham's  divine  counselors.  Most  of  the 
priests  appeared  to  be  elderly  men,  with  broken 
constitutions,  avIio  presided  with  a  degn-e  of  rus- 
tic dignity  that  appeared  somewhat  ludicrous. 

Brigham  owes  his  success  mainly  to  his  mis- 
sionaries. He  sends  them  ]>y  hundreds  to  almost 
every  part  of  the  civilized  world.  The  result  is, 
that  he  obtains  proselytes  by  the  thousands,  every 
year.  Five  parties  of  immigrants  were  reported 
at  the  tabernacle  last  Sabbath,  as  b^'ing  on  their 
way,  or  as  having  arrived  this  year;  each  party 
numbering  from  three  hundred  to  seven  hundred 
persons.  In  one  of  these  parties  seven  different 
languages  were  spoken,  indicating  the  various 
countries  from  which  they  came.  All  this  was 
reported  as  the  fruit  of  a  single  year's  missionary 
labor. 

The  ^lormon  church  is  rich,  and  transports 
its  proselytes  from  Europe  to  I'tah,  at  its  own  ex- 
pense, and  is  afterAvards  reimbursed  from  their 
earnings  in  this  country.     After  they  have  paid 


:}()  i.ktti;ks  i-uo.m 

this  expense  in  work  wliich  is  iilluttecl  them, 
they  are  then,  like  all  other  Mormons,  re({niretl 
to  pay  tithes  to  the  elnirch  in  cash  or  in  kind, 
annually,  (hiring  their  natural  lives.  These  tithes 
in  kind  are  either  sold  or  applied,  as  needed,  to 
support  poor  immigrants,  until  they  become  able 
to  provide  for  themselves.  Nearly  all  the  prose- 
lytes to  the  Mormon  faith,  for  the  last  lifteen  years, 
are  made  up  of  the  ignorant  and  poverty-stricken 
classes  of  the  old  world,  who,  having  nothing  to 
lose,  but  every  thing  to  gain, .were  induced  to  be- 
lieve that  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  they  would  find, 
not  only  an  earthly  paradise,  but  be  enriched  with 
all  the  I)lessings  and  wealth  that  this  world  can 
bestow.  It  is  seldom  that  an  American  joins  the 
Mormons.  When  Brigham  dies,  if  not  before,  the 
organization  will  explode  Already  there  are  fac- 
tions in  the  church,  which  threaten  its  existence. 
In  fact,  Brigham  seems  aware  that  he  has  an  ele- 
phant on  his  hands,  and  in  order  to  prevent  a 
crisis,  nvill  soon  be  obliged  to  announce  a  new 
ReA'elation. 

Salt  Lake  City  contains  about  twenty  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  laid  out  in  one  hundred  and 
eighty  square  blocks  of  ten  acres  each,  Avith  inter- 
vening avenues  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in 
width.  The  blocks  are  then  sub-divided  into  lots, 
larger  or  smaller,  to  suit  the  wants  of  the-citizens. 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  31 

and  are  generally  built  up  Avith  wood  or  adobe 
dwellings,  in  which  two  or  three  families,  some- 
times more,  belonging  to  one  man,  are  often 
domiciled.  With  some  exceptions,  each  family 
occupies  a  distinct  apartment,  which  is  entered 
through  a  separate  outside  door.  You  can  gener- 
ally tell,  therefore,  how  many  families  occupy  the 
same  house  by  the  number  of  its  front  doors.  The 
gardens  are  usually  large,  and  tilled  Avith  fruits, 
vegetables  and  flowers.  Peaches,  pears,  and  apples, 
of  the  largest  size  and  finest  quality  I  ever  saw, 
abound  here.  Living  streams  of  pure  water,  Avhich 
descend  from  the  neighboring  snow-capped  moun- 
tains, course  along  on  either  side  of  every  avenue 
in  the  city,  and  are  conducted  in  small  rills  through 
side-cuts  into  gardens  and  lawns  to  such  extent  as 
may  be  needed  for  the  purpose  of  irrigatioii.  The 
town  is  located  on  a  plain,  which  extends  from  the 
base  of  the  circular  mountains  on  one  side  to  the 
banks  of  the  river  Jordan  on  the  other,  a  distance  of 
two  miles  or  more.  This  sacred  river,  as  the  Mor- 
mons esteem  it,  is  ten  or  twelve  rods  wide,  and  fif- 
teen miles  long,  connecting  Lake  Utah  with  Salt 
Lake.  In  the  holy  waters  of  this  modern  Jordan  the 
Mormon  converts  are  baptised,  and  as  they  say, 
w^ashed  of  their  sins.  We  visited  the  river,  and 
picked  up  on  its  shore  a  black  jasper,  which  we  re- 
tain for  exhibition  to  our  friends,  and  as  a  me- 


32  LH'ITEKS    I-IJOM 

monto  of  Mormonism.    tlic  sfniiuk-st   Imiiibuji'  of 
the  Nineteenth  Centnrv. 

It  is  a  singnhir  I'act  that  Salt  J.ake  has  no 
outlet,  and  tliungli  it  receives  into  its  Ixisin  sev- 
eral streams  of  fresh  water,  it  grows  none  the  less 
saline.  It  is,  in  many  respects,  like  the  Dead  Sea. 
Neither  tisli,  nor  other  living  tiling,  can  inhabit 
its  waters.  It  is  a  fountain,  if  not  a  jtillar  of  salt, 
which,  though  not  conseci'ated  to  Lot's  wife,  will 
forever  remind  mankind  of  Bi'igham's  wives. 

Beside  Salt  T^ake  valley,  there  are  many  other 
beautiful  valleys  in  Utah  ;  though  much  smaller 
in  extent,  they  are  as  rich  and  fertile  as  the  great 
valley.  Nearly  all  of  them,  within  a  circuit  of  a 
hundred  and  tifty  miles,  are  now  occupied  l)y  Mor- 
mons and  regularly  visited  l)y  their  Home  Mis- 
sionaries, who.  in  many  instances,  have  wives  and 
fomilies  of  children  in  each  valley  with  whom 
they  stop  when  on  the  circuit.  These  families  are 
expected  to  take  care  of  themselves;  but  if  una- 
able  to  do  so,  they  receive  aid  from  the  church 
revenues  or  tithes.  The  entire  Mormon  po])ula- 
tion.  at  this  time,  is  said  to  be  nearly  two  hundred 
thousand,  and  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  Mormons 
intend  to  control  Utah  as  they  ever  have  done, 
when  it  becomes  a  State.  The  penniless  dupes 
they  import  are  told  that  Utah  is  -a  land  flowing 
with  milk  and  lionev."  and  encircled  with  moui> 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  33 

tains  of  gold  and  silvL-r.  and  that  its  climate  is  a 
summer  of  perpetual  fruits  and  flowers,  with  bread 
enough  and  to  spare  ;  nor  are  tliey  informed,  espe- 
t'ially  the  women,  until  they  arrive,  that  polygamy 
is  embraced  in  the  articles  of  their  new  faith.  It 
is  then  too  late,  destitute  as  they  are,  to  retrace 
their  steps.  The  priests  select  the  handsomest 
girls  for  their  wives,  and  do  not  seem  to  regard 
the  act  as  amounting  even  to  '•  a  pious  fraud." 

And  yet,  in  all  this  there  may  be  a  wise  Provi- 
dence that  looks  to  higher,  nobler  and  holier 
results.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  early,  not  to  say 
unjust,  persecution  of  the  Mormons  in  the  Eastern 
States,  and  their  forced  emigration  to  Utah  in 
search  of  protection  and  a  peaceful  home,  the 
grand  Pacific  Railway,  in  all  probability,  would 
not  have  been  built  for  at  least  fifty  years  to  come. 
The  Mormons  were  thus  made  the  pioneers  Avho 
took  the  lead  and  opened  the  gateways  into  a  new 
world,  where  they  ^vlU  iinally  be  compelled  to 
abandon  their  "  peculiar  institution,"'  and  lose  for- 
ever their  identity  in  the  flowing  tide  of  western 
emigration. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  Salt  Lake  City  Avill  have  a 
name,  fame,  and  record,  which  time  cannot  oblit- 
erate. It  is  a  beautiful  city,  and  the  natural  scen- 
ery which  surrounds  it,  is  not  only  beautiful,  but 
grand  and  sublime.     The  climate  of  the  valley  is 


34  LETTERS    FROM 

mild  Mild  suiniiK'r-likf  tlirouglioiit  the  yt-ar.  and 
the  soil  as  rich  and  productive  as  the  <;ardeii  ol' 
Eden.  Nature  lias  made  the  spot  an  earthly  i)ar- 
udise.  lirighaiii  Ydiinii-  founded  the  city.  Jt  is 
and  ever  will  he  a  .Monument,  uliich  will  com- 
memorate his  name,  ^'et  not  satislied  with  this, 
he  has  already  laid  the  roiiiidatiou  ol"  a  mighty 
temple  which,  when  completed,  will  exceed  in  c(»st 
and  o-raudeur  the  temple  of  Solomon.  It  is  to  l»f 
constructed  of  granite,  with  many  s])ires  and  tur- 
rets, in  accordance  with  divine  instructions  com- 
municated, as  he  says.  l)y  an  angel  from  Heaven, 
who  appeared  to  him  in  a  vision.  "We  saw  the 
foundation.  It  is  built  of  immense  blocks  of  hewn 
granite,  procured  from  the  mountains,  eighteen 
miles  distant,  and  cost  a  million  of  dollars,  as  we 
Avere  informed  by  the  architect.  The  whole  cost 
of  the  teniple.  wlien  linislied,  is  estimated  at  three 
millions.  Brigham  is  full  of  gigantic  projects. 
He  evidently  means  to  survive  death.  He  has 
done  some  good  things.  He  educates  the  youth 
of  his  city,  and  prohiljits  the  sale,  within  its  limits, 
of  all  intoxicating  liquors  :  yet  tolerates  a  theatre, 
for  the  sake  of  its  revenues,  and  often  attends  it 
himself.  He  maintains  an  efficient  police  force  for 
the  protection  of  the  city  and  its  citizens,  and  it  is 
understood  that  he  has  secret  agents,  who  execute 
the  unrevealed  decrees  of  the  priesthood.    As  Head 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  35 

of  the  Church,  he  owns  nearly  all  the  real  estate 
of  the  city,  and  has  several  millions  of  gold  de- 
posited in  the  Bank  of  England,  witli  wliieh  to 
meet  emergencies.  He  has  built  a  railroad  con- 
necting the  city  with  the  Pacific  road.  It  became 
a  necessity,  and  will  soon  be  put  into  active  oper- 
ation. He  owns  the  road,  and  will  control  it. 
None  of  his  wives,  or  proselytes,  will  be  ticketed 
over  it,  who  meditate  escape  from  Mormondom. 
From  appearances,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  Avomen 
of  Salt  Lake  are  generally  unhappy,  and  if  they 
but  had  the  opportunity,  or  had  wings,  would 
leave  like  a  flock  of  pigeons.  But  this  is  impos- 
sible, so  long  as  Brigham  is  the  great  lawgiver, 
and  accepted  as  the  second  Christ  by  his  misgui- 
ded followers.  As  much  as  he  may  love  women, 
he  loves  gold  still  more,  and  no  man  understands 
better  than  he  the  power  of  a  blind  religious  faith, 
or  the  arts  by  which  it  may  be  made  available,  in 
promoting  selfish  and  nnhallowed  purposes.  And 
yet  time  may  sanctify  the  character  of  Brigham, 
and  perhaps  deify  him.  At  any  rate,  he  has  estab- 
lished a  religion  which  will  not  die  with  him; 
though  it  may  undergo  material  modifications. 
Mormonism  is  in  fact  but  a  revised  edition  of 
Mohammedanism.  Five  hundred  years  hence  it 
may  predominate  the  world  over.     Who  knows  ? 


LETTER  V. 


("ARSON  City,  Sopteiiibcr  30th,  1869. 

From  ^;ilt  Liikc  City  avc  returned  Ijv  stage  to 
the  Pacitle  road,  and  })r(K-eeded  on  our  Avay  west- 
ward by  rail.  For  many  miles  we  ran  along  the 
margin  of  the  great  Salt  Lake  valley  through  a 
region  Avhitened  with  a  crust  of  soda  or  alkali, 
Avhich  appeared  to  the  eye  as  if  there  had  been  a 
recent  fall  of  snow.  In  many  other  parts  of  this 
country  the  soil  is  encrusted  in  a  similar  manner, 
and  so  deeply  impregnated  with  this  alkaline  sub- 
stance, as  to  destroy  all  vegetation. 

On  leaving  the  valley,  we  ascended  Promon- 
tory Point,  winding  our  way  up  by  zigzag  lines 
along  the  ledges  of  rock,  Avhich  crop  out  and  over- 
look the  great  Salt  Lake  basin.  The  vieAv  is  as 
grand  as  it  is  extensive.  We  dined  at  the  station 
on  the  summit.  The  dining  hall  is  constructed 
with  rough  boards  outside,  and  lined  inside  with 
white  muslin.     The  dinner  was  excellent  and  po- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  37 

litely  served.  Here  for  the  first  time  our  dessert 
consisted  of  California  fruits,  grapes,  pears,  and 
apples,  very  large,  fine  and  delicious.  The  charge 
was  one  dollar  in  gold.  From  this  station  west- 
ward gold  is  the  general  circulating  medium, 
but  as  a  matter  of  accommodation  to  passengers, 
greenbacks  are  received  at  the  stations  in  pay- 
ment of  traveling  expenses. 

After  we  left  Promontory  Point  we  frequently 
passed  gangs  of  Chinamen  at  work,  repairing  and 
finishing  up  the  road.  They  are  a  strange  look- 
ing set  of  chaps,  and  look  as  much  alike  as 
two  peas.  They  are  much  smaller  in  stature  than 
Americans,  have  dark  yellowish  skins,  smooth, 
round  faces,  black  hair  and  black  almond  eyes  ; 
and  as  we  passed  them,  they  grinned  and  smiled 
in  a  manner  that  was  truly  comical.  They  are  a 
quiet,  submissive  and  respectful  people  in  their 
demeanor.  Some  were  dressed  in  Chinese  cos- 
tume, and  others  in  half  American  style.  They 
lodge  in  very  low  cloth  tents,  three  or  four  feet 
high,  and  in  some  instances,  instead  of  tents,  they 
burrow  in  earth-mounds  which  resemble  kennels. 
As  laborers,  they  are  faithful  and  etficient,  work- 
ing from  sunrise  till  sunset,  without  regard  to  the 
ten  hour  system,  and  if  they  do  not  always  mind 
their  P's,  they  certainly  do  their  queues.  "When 
at  work  they  wear  their  queues,  which  are  about 

256736 


38  LETTERS    FROM 

four  feet  long,  coiled  up,  like  a  lady's  switcli,  on 
the  back  part  of  the  head. 

We  had  now  entered  i^pon  the  vast  plain, 
through  which  flows  the  Humboldt  river,  with 
here  and  there  a  bald-headed  mountain  and  low 
range  of  equally  bald  hills.  At  this  season  of 
the  year  no  green  thing  is  seen,  not  even  a  tree, 
shrub,  or  blade  of  grass.  It  is  a  barren  desert, 
silent  as  it  is  vast,  producing  nothing  but  sage 
brush.  The  soil  is  strongly  impregnated  with 
alkali.  The  dust  wliicli  arises  ironi  the  plain  as 
the  cars  pass,  is  anything  but  agreeable.  It  parches 
the  lips  and  skin,  and  irritates  the  throat  and  na- 
sal linings  to  a  degree  that  is  often  tormenting. 

At  most  of  the  stations  along  this  part  of  the 
route,  we  saw  groups  of  Indians,  men,  women  and 
children,  standing  idle  and  curious  to  see  the  train 
and  its  novelties,  and  begging  for  money,  bread, 
meat,  clothing,  or  anything  else  the  passengers 
might  please  to  give  them.  Dressed  partly  in 
Indian  costume,  and  partly  in  old  cast-off  Amer- 
ican garments,  they  created  quite  a  sensation 
among  the  passengers,  who  enjoyed  hugely  their 
comical  appearance.  These  Indians  are  remnant 
tribes,  known  as  Shoshones,  and  Piutes,  who  are 
now  regarded  as  quite  harmless,  but  were  once 
numerous  and  formidable;  often  at  vvar^vith  each 
other;  and    sometimes  ])lundered  and    murdered 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  3,9 

emigrants.  But  now  "  the  wing  of  their  spirit  is 
broken."  The  onward  march  of  ciA'ilization  lias 
overtaken  them,  and  will  soon  extinguish  the  race. 

The  Humboldt  river  is  comparatively  small, 
larger  in  the  direction  of  its  source  than  at  its 
termination,  owing  to  the  absorption  of  its  waters 
in  the  sand  as  it  flows.  It  is  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  long,  and  empties  into  a  lake  of  the 
same  name.  Along  its  course  there  are  some  grand 
and  sublime  scenes — especially  the  pass  between 
the  Palisades,  a  twin  range  of  perpendicular  rocks, 
fifteen  hundred  feet  high,  and  apparently  split 
asunder  by  volcanic  action.  In  other  places  you 
will  see  granite  rocks  projecting  from  the  faces 
of  the  round  headed  hills,  resembling  dragon's 
teeth,  and  reminding  you  that  you  are  entering 
the  dismal  realms — if  not  the  very  jaws  of  destruc- 
tion— yet  this  valley,  in  some  seasons  of  the  year, 
wears  a  cheerful  aspect,  as  compared  with  the  dry 
season,  and  affords  excellent  pasturage.  The  old 
emigrant  trail  may  still  be  traced  through  its  en- 
tire extent.. 

On  reaching  Eeno,  which  is  located  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Sierras,  we  again  stopped  off, 
and  took  the  stage  to  Carson  City,  the  capital  of 
Nevada,  distant  thirty-three  miles.  On  the  way  we 
passed  the  famous  '*  Steamboat  Springs,"  near  the 
road-side.     Thev  derive  their  name  from  the  fact 


40  LETTERS    FROM 

that  they  puft'  like  a  steamboat  under  sail,  and 
throw  out  on  the  air  a  trailing  wreath  of  smoke 
or  cloud,  which  induces  you  to  look  for  the  pass- 
ing boat.  But  on  examination,  instead  of  a 
steamboat,  you  lind  several  extensive  fissures  in 
the  rocky  surface  of  a  treacherous  spot,  where  the 
steam  issues,  and  where  it  seems  to  be  generated 
by  a  current  of  heated  Avater,  which  you  can  hear 
bubble  and  hiss  beneath  your  feet,  and  Avhieh  is 
hot  enough  to  boil  potatoes  in  a  few  minutes. 
Whether  the  water  is  heated  by  a  combination  of 
chemical  ingredients  deep  down  in  the  earth,  or 
by  volcanic  fires,  is  a  (|uestion  for  science  to  settle  ; 
but  at  present  the  phenomenon  remains  a  mystery. 
If  you  were  to  stand  on  the  spot  where  I  stood,  I 
am  sure  you  Avould  think  the  infernal  regions 
something  more  than  a  theological  fiction. 

Soon  after  passing  the  springs  we  entered 
AVashoe,  a  small  village  in  a  deep  valley,  famous 
for  its  silver  mines.  It  has  several  quartz  mills 
at  work,  day  and  night,  and  turns  out  a  large 
amount  of  bullion.  It  is  located  midway  between 
Keno  and  Carson  City.  Like  Washoe,  Carson  is 
also  located  in  a  deep  valley,  known  as  Eagle  Val- 
ley, and  is  surrounded  by  picturesque  mountains, 
clad  with  pines.  The  city  is  situated  on  the  Car- 
son river,  which  winds  its  Avay  gracefully  along 
the  valley,  and  contains  a  population  of  four  or 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  41 

five  thousand.  It  is  a  inucli  larger  and  riclier 
town  tlian  Waslioe,  and  is  alike  famous  for  its 
quartz  mills  and  production  of  bullion,  It  now 
lias  a  railroad  connecting-  it  with  Virginia  City, 
whence  it  derives  most  of  its  silver  ore  to  supply 
its  Mills.  Being  the  seat  of  government  for  Ne- 
vada, nearly  all  the  State  officials  reside  here,  the 
Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  Judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court.  The  State  officials  are  all 
gentlemen  of  intelligence  and  pleasing  manners. 
In  a  word,  they  are  not  only  men  of  brains  and 
refined  manners,  but  an  honor  to  the  State.  The 
salary  of  the  Supreme  Judges  is  seven  thousand 
dollars  each,  and  this  is  paid  in  gold  coin.  One 
of  them.  Judge  Johnson,  was  Governor  of  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  days  of  the  ffimous  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee. As  yet,  Nevada  has  no  State  House,  and 
for  the  present,  the  Legislature  and  Supreme  Court 
hold  their  sessions  in  rented  halls,  and  the  public 
offices  are  kept  in  side-rooms.  The  State  Library 
is  quite  extensive  for  so  young  a  State. 

Nevada  has  exhibited  her  wisdom  in  making 
liberal  provision  for  common  schools,  both  liy  tax- 
ation and  appropriation  of  pul)lic  lands.  She  is 
about  to  erect  for  herself  a  magnificent  State 
House.  She  has  already  built  a  Penitentiary,  a 
very  fine,  substantial  stone  edifice,* Avhich  is  kept 
in  excellent  condition,  and  under  a  strict  svstem  of 


42  LETTERS    FROM 

discipline.  It  has,  at  this  time,  thirty-six  inmates 
or  convicts,  three  of  whom  are  Chinamen  ;  bnt  no 
Avomen.  There  is  also  a  splendid  Mint  at  Carson, 
which  has  just  l;)een  erected  by  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment. The  structure  is  of  stone,  spacious  in 
its  dimensions,  and  an  ornament  to  the  town. 
The  quartz  mills  in  the  vicinity  are  doing  a  pros- 
perous business.  The  rock  mineral  is  pulverized 
by  immense  hammers  or  stamps,  to  a  fine  powder, 
and  then  run  through  vats  in  currents  of  water, 
the  silver  settling  at  the  bottom  from  its  weight. 
It  is  then  collected  by  commingling  quicksilver 
with  the  mass  and  separating  it.  I  saw  masses  of 
silver  bullion  lying  about  loose,  as  large  as  I  could 
lift,  and  vainly  wished  I  could  have  as  much  as  I 
could  carry  on  my  shoulder.  If  my  wish  had 
been  granted,  doubtless,  I  should  have  felt  the 
need  of  more  backbone  than  I  possess.  Nevada 
abounds,  not  only  in  the  precious  metals,  but  in 
copper,  tin,  lead,  iron,  coal,  and  quicksilver.  In 
fact,  her  elements  of  wealth  are  inexhaustible. 
Every  mountain  is  a  mine,  and  every  valley  a 
granary.  A  thousand  years  will  not  disclose  the 
half  of  her  hidden  treasures. 


LETTER  VI. 


Carson  City,  October  4th,  1869. 

There  are  many  points  of  interest  in  and 
about  Carson.  Xot  only  the  neighboring  silver 
mines,  but  the  graceful  scenery  of  the  winding 
valley,  the  mountains  and  their  deep  gorges  inter- 
woven with  the  lights  and  shadows  cast  by  the 
reflected  rays  of  the  sun,  the  whispering  pines,  the 
mountain  rills,  the  wild  flowers  that  "Avaste  their 
sweetness  on  the  desert  air,"  all  combine  to  lend 
"enchantment  to  the  view." 

And  what  adds  still  greater  interest  to  the  fasci- 
nations of  this  charming  little  city,  is  the  delight- 
ful society  one  may  find  here,  especially  among 
the  "  upper  ten,"  a  class  of  refined  and  cultivated 
people,  who  are  just  aristocratic  enough,  and  yet 
democratic  enough,  to  make  themselves  exceed- 
ingly pleasant  and  agreeable  in  all  their  social 
relations,  and  popular  generally  among  their  fel- 
low citizens.     The  ladies  we   met,  while  in  the 


44  LETTERS    FROM 

city,  fully  convinced  us  that  elegant  and  refined 
women  may  be  found  in  the  West  as  well  as  in  the 
East.  The  ladies  of  Carson,  at  least  many  of 
them,  are  fine  specimens  of  true  womanhood,  and 
are  characterized  by  good  taste  and  good  sense,  as 
well  as  by  cordiality  and  elegance  of  manners. 
The  kind  and  polite  attentions  we  received,  dur- 
ing our  visit  of  a  few  days,  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered with  gratitude;  yet  cannot  be  repaid  with 
mere  words  of  acknowledgement. 

From  Carson  we  made  an  excursion,  in  com- 
pany with  our  friends,  to  Lake  Tahoe,  which  is 
embosomed  in  the  summits  of  the  mountains, 
fifteen  miles  from  the  city.  It  is  the  most  eleva- 
ted lake  on  this  continent,  being  six  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  reached  by  a 
turnpike,  which  winds  its  way  up  the  mountains 
by  angular  lines,  commanding  at  every  turn  mag- 
nificent views,  and  which  cost  the  company  that 
built  it  a  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars.  It 
is  used,  principally,  for  transporting  pine  lumber 
by  teams  from  the  mountain  heights  to  the  valley. 
Most  of  the  teams  emidoyed  consist  of  six  or  eight 
pairs  of  mules  or  oxen,  and  each  team  draws  two, 
and  sometimes  three  wagons,  attached  by  chains, 
and  carries  from  thirty  to  sixty  tons  to  the  load. 
In  regions  where  there  are  no  roads,  they  trans- 
port thnber  and  fir:-w>x:)d  down  the  mauntains 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  45 

through  Humes,  constructed  of  plank,  and  into 
which  streams  of  water  are  conducted,  floating 
the  wood  and  timber,  stick  by  stick,  for  miles,  and 
going  at  a  rushing  rate.  The  mountains  are  cov- 
ered with  dense  forests  of  pine,  and  stand  so  hud- 
dled, and  yet  so  independent  of  each  other,  as  to 
resemble  great  earth-bubbles,  inflated,  I  doubt  not, 
by  the  action  of  subterranean  tires,  at  some  remote 
period  in  the  earth's  history.  What  is  singular, 
the  largest  pines  grow  on  the  summits  of  the 
mountains,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  fact  that  they 
catch  more  sunlight  than  the  smaller  pines  on  the 
lower  grades.  Or  it  may  be,  the  mountains  were 
lifted  up  but  halfway  at  the  first  convulsion,  thus 
giving  the  summit  pines  a  longer  time  to  attain 
their  growth. 

Lake  Tahoe  is  certainly  a  beautiful  gem — the 
most  beautiful  that  ever  glittered  in  the  crown  of 
a  mountain  monarchy.  Its  waters  are  as  clear 
and  pure  as  crystal.  It  is  said  to  be  more  than  two 
thousand  feet  deep;  and  though  it  receives  several 
streams,  it  has  no  outlet.  You  can  see  fish  and 
pebbles  glimmering  in  its  depths,  as  in  a  mirror. 
It  is  quite  a  large  lake,  being  thirty  miles  long 
and  ten  or  twelve  broad ;  nor  was  it  made  in  vain. 
San  Francisco  is  agitating  the  question  of  mo- 
nopolizing its  waters  for  the  use  of  its  citizens,  by 
conducting  it  in  ii-on  pipes  to  the  city,  a  distance 


46  LETTERS    FROM 

of  a  hundred  und  fifty  miles,  and  at  a  cost  esti- 
mated at  twelve  millions  of  dollars.  Its  borders 
are  wild  and  romantic.  It  is  surrounded  by  snow- 
capped mountains,  which  are  reflected  in  the 
mirror  of  its  waters.  Ragged  rocks,  looking  like 
armed  giants,  stand  out  here  and  there  along  its 
margin,  as  if  to  guard  the  spot  from  intrusion. 
Though  located  in  a  region  of  perpetual  frost  and 
snow,  its  waters  never  freeze ;  but  wiiy  they  should 
not,  is  a  mystery.  In  summer  it  is  a  place  of  pop- 
ular resort.  The  mountain  air  is  pure,  cool,  and 
exhilirating.  No  invalid  can  breathe  it  without 
feeling  its  invigorating  influence.  Indeed  its  res- 
torative influence  is  like  the  fabled  elixir  of  life, 
it  makes  one,  however  old  he  may  be,  feel  youth- 
ful, if  not  absolutely  frolicsome.  There  is  a  small 
steamboat  that  plies  on  the  lake,  for  the  benefit 
and  pleasure  of  visitors,  and  on  both  sides  of  the 
lake  there  are  several  first-class  hotels,  which  fur- 
nish excellent  accommodations  for  summer  guests 
and  pleasure  parties.  We  stopped  at  the  Glen- 
brook  House,  Avhieh  commands  a  fine  view  of  the 
lake  and  its  scenerj^  The  lake  abounds  in  silver 
trout,  so  called  because  they  are  dotted  with  silver 
stars;  a  fresh-caught  one,  weighing  six  pounds, 
supplied  us  with  an  excellent  dinner.  The  table 
was  loaded  with  all  kinds  of  luxuries,  including 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  47 

the  best  of  California  fruits,  and  attended  by  a 
Chinese  waiter. 

Glenbrook  gives  name  to  the  liotel,  and  runs 
dashing  by  its  door,  giggling  and  laughing  like  a 
mountain  maid.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  glen 
rises  Shakespeare  Eock,  two  hundred  feet  high, 
looking  like  an  immense  statue,  chiseled  by  human 
hands.  It  is  in  itself  a  marvel.  Its  apex  resem- 
bles very  distinctly  the  head  of  Shakespeare.  The 
features  of  the  face  are  like  his  in  expression. 
The  brow  is  crowned  with  a  wreath  of  golden 
moss ;  and  the  eyes,  nose,  mouth,  and  chin,  fully 
delineated.  There  he  stands  facing  the  lake,  and 
gazing  in  mute  rapture  upon  its  placid  waters. 
No  artist  could  improve  this  portraiture  of  genius, 
which  has  been  thus  lithographed  by  the  hand  of 
Nature,  and  placed  on  exhibition  in  this  lofty 
granite  hall  of  her  own  Mountain  Home. 

Not  far  from  the  Shakespeare  statue  appears 
Cathedral  Eock,  which  is  so  named  from  its  re- 
semblance to  a  Eoman  chnrcli.  It  looks  so  much 
like  a  magnificent  church,  that  you  imagine  you 
can  see  the  worshipers  inside,  through  the  gothic 
windows,  engaged  in  their  devotions.  About  three 
miles  from  Glenln'ook  there  is  a  wonderful  cave 
in  a  rock,  which  presents  a  bold,  perpendicular 
front,  overlooking  the  lake  and  rising  to  a  height 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet.     The  cave  opens 


48  LETTERS   FROM 

at  its  base  and  extends  into  the  ruck,  like  an 
arched  passage-way,  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  and 
is  high  enough  to  admit  of  standing  erect  in  it. 
We  entered  and  advanced  to  its  termination,  but 
saw  nothing  except  blackened,  vitrified  walls,  and 
some  specimens  of  jasper  and  agates.  The  cave 
was  probably  produced  by  volcanic  action,  and  is 
well  worth  a  visit. 

There  are  many  other  interesting  spots  along 
the  borders  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Tahoe, 
which, every  excursionist  should  visit,  who  enjoys 
communion  with  Nature  and  admires  her  wonder- 
ful works.  A  few  weeks  spent  here  in  summer,  is 
worth  more  than  a  year  squandered  in  Europe,  or 
at  a  ftishionable  watering  place  in  the  Eastern 
States,  so  ftir  as  regards  pleasure,  or  the  attain- 
ment of  health. 

After  enjoying  the  day  here  in  the  most  de- 
lightful manner  with  our  friends  in  sight-seeing, 
we  returned  to  Carson  in  the  evening  by  moon- 
light. We  had  a  rapid  and  exciting  ride  down 
the  mountains.  The  commingled  lights  and  shad- 
ows that  fell  on  our  wa}',  and  on  the  mountain 
sides,  and  in  the  deep  gorges,  reminded  us  of  fairy 
land,  and  produced  in  our  minds  visions  of  all 
that  is  magical  and  beautiful,  not  to  say  fearful,  as 
we  were  whirled  along  the  edges  of  precipitous 
cliffs  and  abrupt  descents,  which  terminated  in 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  49 

unknown  depths.  Yet  we  made  a  safe  trip  of  it, 
and  reached  the  city  at  a  seasonable  liour  in  the 
evening,  highly  gratified  with  the  experiences  of 
the  day. 


LETTER  YII. 


Sacramento,  October  6th,  1869. 

Yesterday  we  tojk  leave  of  our  friends  and 
the  many  pleasant  acquaintances  we  had  made  at 
Carson  City,  and  returned  by  stage  to  Eeno,  in 
time  to  take  the  niglit  train  going  west.  We  had 
an  exciting  ride.  The  stage  team  consisted  of  six 
horses,  fat,  sleek  and  fast.  The  famous  Hank 
Monk  held  the  ribbons — the  same  chap  who 
drove  Horace  Greeley  over  the  mountain  road  to 
Placerville,  a  few  years  ago,  in  time  to  lecture. 
On  entering  the  coach,  I  alluded  to  the  fact,  and 
requested  a  specimen  of  his  skill ;  but  remarked 
that  I  was  a  good  democrat  and  didn't  think  I 
deserved,  on  the  score  of  political  sins,  so  hard  a 
jolting  as  he  gave  Greeley.  But  we  had  no  sooner 
started  than  the  speed  began  to  increase,  until  the 
jolts  became  so  intolerable  that  I  implored  moder- 
ation. "  Hank  "  replied  to  me  as  he  did  to  Horace, 
'•'  Keep  your  seat,  sir."     This  I  tried  to  do,  but  the 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  51 

more  I  tried  the  more  I  couldn't,  and  the  result 
was,  we  reached  Reno,  a  distance  of  thirty-three 
miles,  an  hour  and  a  half  ahead  of  time.  The 
moment  "  Hank  "  entered  the  hotel,  I  congratula- 
ted him,  extolled  the  speed  of  his  horses  and  his 
horsemanship,  and  gave  the  barkeeper  an  intima- 
tion that  put  Hank  in  good  spirits,  or  rather 
good  spirits  into  Hank,  a  compliment  which  he 
acknowledged  Avith  a  very  low,  conciliatory  bow ; 
and  thereupon  we  parted,  exchanging  a  profusion 
of  kind  wishes  for  each  other's  success  in  the 
journey  of  life. 

Eeno  is  an  important  railroad  station,  extem- 
porized of  canvas  and  rough  boards,  contains  six 
or  seven  hundred  inhabitants,  and  takes  its  name 
from  Gen.  Reno,  who  was  killed  in  battle  at  South 
Mountain.  It  is  built  without  much  regard  to 
order;  yet  is  rapidly  advancing  in  wealth  and 
population,  and  promises  to  become  the  leading 
city  of  the  mountains.  It  is  located  within  a  rich 
and  extensive  mining  district,  and  only  twenty 
miles  from  Virginia  City.  Almost  every  mush- 
room town,  though  not  much  but  a  railroad  sta- 
tion, is  dignified  Avith  the  name  of  a  city  in  this 
region  of  the  country.  Truckee  is  the  great 
lumber  mart  of  the  mountains,  and  the  largest 
city  on  the  Central.  It  has  a  population  of  nearly 
five  thousand.     Not  far  from  here  you  pass  Don- 


52  LETTERS    FROM 

ner  I^ake.  It  is  ii  beiiutiftil,  rock-rimmed  basin  of 
water,  pure  as  liquid  silver ;  yet  there  is  connected 
with  it  a  very  sad  story  of  human  suffering. 

In  184:0,  late  in  the  fall,  a  party  of  emigrants, 
who  had  crossed  the  plains,  arrived  at  this  lake 
and  camped  for  the  night  on  its  borders.  They 
brought  with  them  horses,  wagons,  and  a  few 
head  of  horned  cattle,  but  their  provisions  were 
nearly  exhausted.  The  party  consisted  of  sixteen 
persons,  among  whom  were  Mr.  Donner,  his  wife 
and  four  children.  During  the  night  there  came 
on  a  violent  snow  storm,  which  continued  for 
three  days,  and  completely  blockaded  every  avenue 
of  escape.  Their  situation  became  alarming,  and 
the  prospect  of  relief,  at  so  late  a  period  in  the 
season,  seemed  entirely  hopeless ;  and  yet,  if  they 
attempted  to  remain  for  the  Avinter,  they  knew 
they  must  perish  of  cold  and  hunger. 

In  view  of  this  fearful  state  of  things,  the 
strong  men  of  the  party  resolved  to  make  an  effort 
to  reach  the  valley  on  the  coast,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose saddled  the  horses,  and  invited  the  entire 
party  to  join  them.  But  Mr.  Donner,  being  un- 
well, declined.  His  wife  concluded  to  remain 
with  him,  but  permitted  her  children  to  go.  After 
the  party  had  mounted  their  horses,  and  were 
about  to  start,  one  of  them,  a  stout  Dutchman, 
dismounted  and  declared  his  intention  to  remain 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  53 

with  Donner  and  his  wife.  The  party  then  started 
on  their  perilous  journey,  and,  after  severe  strug- 
gles and  much  suffering,  reached  the  valley  in 
safety.  Soon  after  their  departure,  the  cattle  and 
horses  left  at  the  camp,  escaped,  and  were  lost  in 
the  mountains.  The  remaining  scanty  supply  of 
provisions  in  camp  were  soon  exhausted.  Star- 
vation came  with  all  its  horrors.  It  is  supposed 
that  Donner  and  the  Dutchman  cast  lots  to  de- 
termine which  of  the  two  should  lose  his  life  to 
become  food  for  the  others.  The  lot  fell  on  the 
Dutchman  ;  but  in  the  conflict,  he  killed  Donner, 
and  when  the  food  thus  furnished  was  consumed, 
he  killed  Mrs.  Donner.  This  is  probably  the 
truth  ;  for  in  the  spring,  when  the  party  in  the 
valley  returned  to  the  mountains,  with  a  view  to 
relieve  the  sufferers,  they  found  the  Dutchman  in 
the  cabin,  greedily  gnawing  the  roasted  flesh  from 
a  human  arm,  which  had  been  severed  from  the 
body.  On  searching,  they  found  the  mutilated 
remains  of  Mrs.  Donner,  buried  in  the  snow  near 
the  cabin.  The  indications  were  that  she  had 
been  murdered.  The  cannibal  was  seized,  taken 
to  the  valley  and  imprisoned,  but  refused  to 
give  any  account  of  the  matter.  A  few  words 
written  on  a  slip  of  paper,  by  Mrs.  Donner,  and 
found  in  the  cabin,  revealed  the  manner  in  which 
her  husband  had  been  killed.     In  addition  to  this, 


54  LETTERS    FROM 

a  large  sum  of  money,  known  to  have  belonged 
to  Mr.  Donner,  was  found  secreted  on  the  Dutch- 
man's person.  This  Avas  taken  from  him  and 
awarded  to  the  Donner  orphans ;  but  the  cannibal 
was  finally  acquitted  of  the  crimes  charged  against 
him,  for  want  of  sufficient  legal  testimony.  He 
still  lives,  it  is  said,  and  wears  the  brand  of  a 
murderer — a  cannibal — burning  on  his  brow. 
Such  is  the  terrible  tragedy,  which  gave  the  name 
of  Donner  to  that  beautiful  mountain  lake. 

The  highest  point  on  the  route  over  the  Sier- 
ras, is  Summit  Station,  seven  thousand  and  forty- 
two  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  In  crossing, 
we  ran  through  some  dozen  tunnels,  the  longest 
of  which  is  seventeen  hundred  feet.  Some  of  the 
bridges  that  span  the  gorges,  are  six  to  seven  sto- 
ries high,  all  built  of  trussel  work.  They  creak 
and  tremble  under  the  weight  of  the  cars,  and  if 
you  look  down  into  the  chasms  below,  you  may 
expect  your  head  to  swim  with  a  dizzy  sensation. 
The  immense  chasm,  called  Cape  Horn,  is,  per- 
haps, the  most  terrific.  Not  only  its  fearful  depth, 
but  its  sweep  of  breadth  and  extent,  and  its  awful 
overhanging  crags  of  rocks,  all  combine  to  make 
it  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  entrancing  views 
of  natural  scenery  anywhere  to  be  found.  In  this 
part  of  the  route  there  are  sixty  miles  of  snow- 
sheds,  erected  to  protect  the  road  from  snoAv-slides 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  55 

that  descend  from  the  higher  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  snow  drifts  that  would  otherwise  accu- 
mulate on  the  track.  The  sheds  are  constructed 
of  heavy  timber,  secured  by  iron  bolts,  and  roofed 
with  plank,  so  as  to  correspond  Avith  the  slope  of 
the  mountain-sides.  The  side  of  the  sheds  over- 
looking the  descent,  is  boarded  up  leaving  here  and 
there  a  window  space,  covered  with  a  board-blind, 
hung  on  hinges,  which  is  lifted  and  left  open  in  the 
milder  portions  of  the  year,  so  as  to  allow  passen- 
gers to  catch  a  view  of  the  passing  scenery.  The 
train,  like  a  huge  anaconda,  seems  to  leap  the 
chasms,  and  wind  itself  around  the  mountain 
sides,  gliding  with  a  terrific  hiss  through  the  dark 
snow-sheds  and  dismal  tunnels,  as  if  in  pursuit  of 
prey,  or  frightened  by  some  implacable  enemy. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Gold  Run,  a  small  town  in 
the  mountains,  we  saw  abundant  evidences  of 
surface  mining  for  gold.  The  soil  for  miles  has 
been  dug  over  and  upturned  by  the  miners.  On 
both  sides  of  the  road  there  are  long  lines  of 
flumes,  constructed  of  j)lank  or  boards,  conduct- 
ing currents  of  water  to  suit  the  several  localities 
of  the  diggings.  Cleats  or  strips  of  board  are 
nailed  across  the  bottom  plank  of  the  flume,  to 
arrest  the  particles  of  gold  as  they  float,  which 
are  heavier  than  the  drifting  soil,  and  therefore 
sink  and  lodge  against  the  cleats  or  stops.     Large 


56  LETTERS    FROM 

amounts  of  gold-dnst  have  been  obtained  in  this 
simple  way.  The  same  method  is  adopted  in 
hundreds  of  other  localities,  but  has  become  much 
less  remunerative  than  formerly,  owing  to  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  surface  mines,  so  far  as  they  have 
yet  been  discovered.  The  quartz  rock  mines, 
where  mills  are  employed,  are  now  regarded  as 
much  the  most  reliable,  as  well  as  the  most  pro- 
ductive. Near  this  is  Colfax,  a  A'eiy  pretty  town, 
which  exhibits  much  good  taste  in  the  style  of  its 
buildings,  especially  its  j^ublic  buildings.  It  takes 
its  name  from  Schuyler  Colfax,  now  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  has  about  twelve 
hundred  inhabitants. 

The  descent  down  the  western  slope  of  the 
Sierras  is  comparatively  steep  and  rapid,  and  soon 
accomplished.  The  "  Junction  "  at  the  foot  is 
the  last  eating  station  going  west.  It  is  so  called 
because  the  Central  connects  here  with  the  Sacra- 
mento and  Oregon  Eailroad.  It  is  here  we  first 
entered  the  great  coast  valley  of  California.  From 
here  the  country  is  generally  level  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Pacific,  and  the  plains  begin  to  widen 
as  you  proceed.  They  are  rich  in  point  of  soil, 
and  here  and  there  you  will  see  herds  of  cattle 
and  horses  roaming  at  will.  There  are  no  fences. 
In  the  winter  and  spring  months,  California,  they 
say,  may  justly  be  called  "  The  Flowery  Kingdom," 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  57 

nor  do  I  pretend  to  doubt  it ;  but,  at  this  particu- 
lar season  of  the  year,  it  looks  like  a  vast  desert. 
At  least,  it  so  appeared  to  me,  as  I  saw  it  in  this, 
my  first  vision  of  the  Sacramento  valley.  There 
is  nothing  green  to  be  seen.  Everything  is  dry  as 
a  husk,  far  and  near,  except  gardens  and  other 
spots  irrigated  by  artificial  means. 

The  City  of  Sacramento,  where  we  arrived  at 
noon,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
bearing  the  same  name.  It  is  quite  a  large  city, 
famous  for  its  enterprise  and  great  wealth.  The 
leading  men  here  are  not  men  of  straw,  but  men 
of  pluck  and  of  enlarged  views.  Nothing,  however 
formidable,  seems  too  much  for  them  to  under- 
take. A  few  years  ago  the  city  was  but  a  hamlet, 
a  mere  outpost  on  the  borders  of  the  mining  dis- 
trict ;  but  now,  though  nearly  destroyed  several 
times  by  fire  and  flood,  it  has  become  a  rich  and 
flourishing  city,  containing  some  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  the  capital  of  California,  and 
within  a  hundred  and  twenty-six  miles  of  San 
Francisco.  Its  leading  hotels  and  public  edifices 
are  built  on  a  large  scale  and  in  magnificent  style. 
It  is  the  grand  centre  of  railroads  and  machine 
shops,  and  manufacturing  establishments,  of  al- 
most every  kind'.  The  shops  belonging  to  the 
Pacific  Central  cover  twenty  acres  of  ground. 
These  shops  are  supplied  with  water  by  artesian 


58  LETTERS   FROM 

wells.  The  car-shop  alone  employs  three  hundred 
and  seventy  men.  In  connection  with  the  shops 
there  is  a  hospital,  built  by  the  railroad  company, 
for  the  care  of  sick  and  disabled  workmen.  Of 
all  the  American  cities  I  have  yet  seen,  I  think 
Sacramento  not  only  the  most  enterprising,  but 
possessed  of  the  most  solid  wealth,  considering 
its  population. 


LETTER  YIII. 


San  Fkancisco,  October  10th,  1869. 

On  the  way  from  Sacramento  to  this  city,  we 
saw  and  learned  some  things  that  interested  us 
exceedingly,  and  perhaps  some  account  of  them 
might  interest  you.  I  allude  to  the  vast,  but  shorn 
wheat  fields,  and  the  method  of  cultivating  wheat. 
The  farms,  or  ranches,  as  they  call  them,  through 
which  we  passed,  are  very  extensive,  consisting,  in 
some  instances,  of  many  thousand  acres.  At  this 
season  the  entire  extent  of  the  country,  along  the 
route  from  Sacramento  to  this  city,  looks  like  a 
continuous  stubble-field,  and  is  dry  and  dusty. 
The  Sacramento  valley  is,  in  fiict,  the  heart  of 
the  wheat  region.  The  lands  are  rich  and  gener- 
ally level ;  but  in  some  parts  they  become  rolling 
and  even  hilly.  The  quality  of  the  wheat  grown 
here  excels  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  Avorld. 
The  flour  it  makes  is  the  whitest,  and  the  bread 
the  sweetest  and  most  delicate  imaginable.     The 


60  LETTERS    FROM 

grain  is  so  hard  that  it  requires  a  special  process 
to  mill  it.  Some  farmers  sow  a  breadth  of  one 
thousand  to  six  thousand  acres.  They  plow  with 
a  machine,  sow  with  a  machine,  reap  with  a  ma- 
chine, thrash  and  winnow  with  a  machine.  The 
plow,  called  a  "gang-plow"  runs  on  wheels,  and 
holds  itself.  It  has  an  elevated  seat  for  the  team- 
ster, who  sits  and  rides  like  a  gentleman  in  a 
sulky.  The  reaping  machine,  called  a  "  header," 
runs  ahead  of  the  team  that  propels  it,  and  clips 
off  the  wheat  heads  with  a  vibrating  knife,  letting 
them  fall  on  a  revolving  canvas,  Avhich  deposits 
them  in  an  attendant  wagon.  "When  full,  the 
wagon  delivers  its  contents  to  a  thrashing-machine, 
which  thrashes  and  winnows  the  grain,  depositing 
it  in  heaps,  where  it  remains  in  the  open  air, 
sometimes  for  weeks,  until  it  can  be  sacked  and 
delivered  at  a  railroad  station  for  transportation. 
In  a  climate  so  dry  as  this  is,  they  have  no  fears 
of  rain  for  six  or  seven  months  in  the  year,  and 
therefore  build  but  few  barns.  At  <lifferent  sta- 
tions, along  the  Sacramento  valley,  we  saw  millions 
of  bushels  of  wheat  in  sacks,  lying  along  the 
track,  corded  up  like  fire-word,  and  extending  for 
miles  in  a  line  with  the  wayside.  Ks  appearance 
reminded  me  of  the  great  Chinese  wall.  A  coun- 
try that  fortifies  itself  with  sacked  wheat,  can 
never  be  sacked,  or  subjugated.     The  wheat  crop 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  61 

of  this  year  is  estimiited  at  twenty  millions  of 
bushels. 

Here  let  me  stop  and  take  l^reath  for  a  few 
minutes.  It  is  refreshing  to  do  so,  in  the  midst 
of  a  series  of  constant  surprises.  Coming  from 
the  East  overland  to  California,  is  literally  step- 
ping into  a  new  world.  Everything  is  new — a 
chaos  of  wonders.  Before  I  forget  it,  alloAv  me  to 
give  you,  in  a  few  words,  my  general  impressions 
of  the  mountain  plains  and  the  California  valley, 
or  coast,  so  far  as  I  have  already  seen  them. 

In  the  mountain  ranges,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
the  face  of  the  country  is  destitute  of  timber  of 
every  kind ;  looks  like  a  desert,  and  is  relieved  by 
no  green  thing,  except  sage  brush.  This  plant 
abounds,  and  in  its  odor  and  appearance  resem- 
bles our  garden  sage,  but  grows  much  larger  and 
stronger,  and  is  as  scraggy  as  the  witch  of  Endor's 
hair.  It  has  its  uses,  however,  and  is  gathered, 
dried  and  consumed,  as  fuel,  by  the  pioneers  and 
aborigines.  It  has  a  pungent  taste  and  the  flavor 
of  sage,  and  doubtless  may  possess  valuable  medi- 
cinal qualities. 

So  in  the  valleys  and  plains  along  the  coast 
range,  there  is  little  or  no  timber  to  be  found. 
The  only  trees  to  be  seen  in  traveling  by  rail,  are 
the  low  branching  live  oaks,  an  evergreen  which 
looks  like  an  aged  apple  tree  in  its  shape  and  size. 


63  LETTERS    FROM 

These  oaks  stand  scattered  over  the  face  of  the 
country  in  places,  or  rather  in  groups,  in  such  a 
way  as  to  induce  you  to  think  them  apple  or- 
chards. The  trunks  of  the  trees  are  short  and 
gnarled,  the  tops  low  and  broad  ;  but  the  timber 
is  of  no  use,  except  for  fire-wood.  They  have  no 
fences  in  this  country,  and  need  no  fire-wood,  ex- 
cept for  cooking  purposes,  so  mild  is  the  climate. 

We  arrived  in  San  Francisco  on  the  6tli  inst., 
early  in  the  evening,  crossing  the  Bay  in  a  steamer. 
The  moment  we  stepped  on  the  wharf,  we  were 
surrounded  by  an  army  of  noisy  and  uproarious 
hackmen,  who  contended  with  each  other  mani- 
fully  for  the  prizes,  or  lather  for  the  victims. 
Every  hotel  in  the  city  was  lauded  as  the  best,  and 
denounced  as  the  worst  in  town.  We  knew  where 
we  wished  to  go,  and  soon  escaped  from  the  battle- 
field in  a  private  hack  to  a  friend's  house. 

The  next  day  we  took  a  brief  survey  of  our 
whereabouts,  and  found  ourselves  in  the  heart  of 
a  splendid  city,  only  twenty  years  old,  yet  looking 
mature,  and  destined  to  become  the  great  central 
city  of  the  commercial  world.  It  is  here  that 
Europe,  Asia  and  America  will  meet,  shake  hands, 
and  be  good  friends.  Here  they  will  concentrate 
their  wealth,  exchange  commodities,  gamble  in 
stocks,  and  test  the  comparative  sharpness  of 
their  wits. 


THE   PACIFIC    SLOPE.  03 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  after  our  arrival, 
we  began  to  feel  quite  at  home  in  the  city.  The 
citizens  are  candid,  frank  and  polite  to  strangers, 
and  generous  to  a  fault.  They  are  proud  of  their 
city,  and  seem  to  think  there  is  no  other  place  in 
the  wide  world  so  delightful  as  California.  In 
this  opinion  I  concur  so  far  as  my  brief  experi- 
ence extends.  The  general  aspect  of  the  city  is 
peculiar.  It  looks  as  if  it  was  constructed  of 
sand-hills  and  windmills,  and  in  truth  it  really  is. 
The  picture,  however,  has  some  other  features  of 
a  more  attractive  character.  It  is  a  difficult  city 
to  describe.  In  fact,  there  is  very  little  use  in 
attempting  to  describe  it.  If  I  should  attempt,  it 
would  outgrow  my  description  before  I  could 
finish  it. 

The  city  is  located  on  the  tip  end  of  a  tongue 
of  land,  or  peninsula,  lying  between  the  Bay  and 
the  Sea.  This  peninsula  is  about  forty  miles  long 
and  ten  to  twelve  broad.  The  surface  is  broken 
into  hills  and  vales,  and  presents  to  the  eye  a 
scene  of  great  natural  beauty,  wild  and  romantic 
as  fairy  land.  From  the  north  end  of  the  penin- 
sula the  city  has  already  extended  itself  southerly 
some  six  miles,  and  is  rapidly  advancing.  It  con- 
tains at  this  time,  it  is  said,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  thousand  inhabitants.  This  is  a  won- 
derful growth  for  a  city  but  twenty  years  old. 


64  LETTERS   FROM 

especially  when  we  consider  the  fuct  that  it  has 
been  twice  almost  entirely  destroyed  by  fire.  The 
time  will  soon  come  when  the  city  will  extend 
over  and  densely  occupy  the  whole  peninsula. 
The  Bay  is  amply  sufficient  in  breadth  and  depth 
to  accommodate  the  navies  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  furnishes  a  line  of  dockage  that  might  be 
improved  and  extended  to  the  entire  distance  of 
forty  miles.  If  I  were  a  land  speculator,  I  would 
invest  in  the  peninsula,  in  preference  to  investing 
in  the  richest  gold  mine  as  yet  known  in  Califor- 
nia. One  can  hardly  miss  it,  who  purchases  land 
anywhere  within  ten  or  twenty  miles  of  the  city. 
Nature  evidently  intended  there  should  be  a  great 
city  here — the  central  mart  of  the  commercial 
world — and  has  therefore  done  her  part  in  laying 
the  foundations  on  a  magnificent  scale.  The  San 
Franciscans,  though  sagacious  and  quick  in  their 
perceptions,  do  not  yet  seem  to  comprehend  the 
great,  the  splendid  future  that  lies  before  them. 
It  may  be  truthfully  said  of  the  Pacific  coast, 
generally,  that  for  climate  and  productiveness  of 
soil,  it  excels  the  world.  For  beauty  of  natural 
scenery  and  sunny  skies,  Italy  does  not  compare 
with  it.  The  air  here  is  so  pure  and  exhilarating, 
that  it  makes  one  feel,  who  breathes  it,  as  if  he 
were  drinking  champagne  all  the  time.  It  not 
onlv  invigorates  the  invalid,  but  rejuvenates  old 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  65 

age,  and  prolongs  life  to  an  indefinite  period,  so 
long,  indeed,  that  persons  wishing  to  die  at  three 
score  and  ten,  caji't.  So  say  the  Californians.  It 
is  enongh,  perhaps,  to  say  that  it  is  a  wonderful 
country — a  land  of  fruits  and  flowers,  enriched 
with  mountains  of  gold.  It  is  the  gold  that 
"  lends  enchantment  to  the  view."  Yet  this  mod- 
ern paradise  has  its  annoyances.  In  San  Francisco, 
dense  fogs  envelop  the  city  till  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  strong  winds  prevail  the  rest  of  the 
day,  drifting  the  sand  into  mounds,  and  into  your 
eyes  so  as  to  blind  you.  Turning  the  corners  of 
the  streets  in  the  wind,  reminds  you  of  a  drifting 
snow-storm,  in  mid-winter,  in  a  New  England  city. 
Still,  by  way  of  compensation  for  all  this,  you  have 
here  a  cloudless  sky  for  nine  months  in  the  year ; 
a  climate  that  is  uniformly  mild;  and  a  vernal 
season  that  flings  over  the  hills  and  the  valleys  a 
mantle  of  wild  flowers,  perfuming  every  breath  of 
air  you  breathe.  And  yet,  in  California,  it  is  gold 
that  makes  the  man ;  the  want  of  it,  an  outcast, 
or  an  outlaw.  It  is  said  there  are  at  least  seven 
thousand  able-bodied  men  in  San  Francisco,  who 
cannot  find  employment,  and  probably  more  than 
twice  that  number  roving  about  the  State,  await- 
ing chances,  who  are  alike  destitute  of  friends 
and  of  money ;  and  hence,  many  of  this  class,  with 
starvation  staring  them  in  the  face,  resort  to  steal- 


66  LETTERS    FROM 

ing,  or  highway  robbery,  in  order  to  live.  It  is, 
after  all,  a  po(»r  country  for  a  poor  man ;  but  a 
good  country  for  a  man  who  has  capital,  nerve, 
and  perseverance. 


LETTEE  IX. 


San  Francisco,  October  20th,  1869. 

The  more  I  see  of  this  city  the  more  I  am 
surprised  with  its  peculiarities,  nationalities,  and 
novelties.  It  is  a  modern  Eome,  built  on  not  only 
seven,  but  seventy  times  seven  hills.  Some  of  these 
hills  are  large,  and  composed  of  granite  ;  but  the 
most  of  them  are  conical  sand-hills,  which  have 
been  drifted  into  strange  and  novel  shapes  by  the 
prevailing  winds,  and  which  are  constantly  increas- 
ing or  diminishing,  at  the  will  of  the  freakish  and 
invisible  spirits  that  mould  them.  In  many  parts 
of  the  city  nearly  every  lot  is,  or  was,  prior  to  the 
grade,  encumbered  with  a  sand-hill.  The  grading 
often  costs  more  than  the  lot.  The  large  sand- 
hills are  removed  by  steam  shovels,  and  cars  that 
run  on  temporary  railways,  constructed  for  the 
purpose.  In  this  way,  deep  valleys  are  filled  up 
by  the  deposit,  and  new  lots  made.  In  fact,  it  has 
cost  about  as  much  to  orrade  the  citv  as  to  build 


G8  LETTERS    FROM 

it.     Lots  seem  to  go  and  come  with  the  wind. 

The  windmills  give  to  the  general  appearance 
of  the  city  a  feature  that  is  as  singular  as  it  is  re- 
pulsive to  architectural  taste.  They  are  erected 
for  the  purpose  of  pumping  water  from  wells  to 
irrigate  the  lawns  and  gardens,  and  consist  of  a 
frame  tower  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high,  surmounted 
with  a  circular  tank,  and  a  fan-wheel  which  re- 
volves in  the  wind,  working  a  force-pump,  that 
supplies  water  to  the  tank,  whence  it  is  conducted 
in  pipes,  or  open  flumes,  to  every  part  of  the  laAvn 
or  garden.  By  this  means  the  grounds  occupied 
for  residences  are  kept  green,  and  the  gardens 
made  productive,  the  year  round.  Those  citizens 
who  neglect  to  irrigate,  reside  in  sandy  deserts, 
just  the  size  of  their  respective  lots,  during  the 
dry  season,  which  continues  for  seven  or  eight 
months  of  the  year.  The  poorer  classes  cannot 
afibrd  the  luxury  of  irrigation,  and  consequently 
the  town  plat  for  two  thirds  of  the  year  looks  like 
a  chequer  board,  or  patch  bed-quilt. 

The  commercial  part  of  the  city  is  located 
along  the  Bay,  and  built  up  in  magnificent  style, 
in  blocks  of  stone,  brick,  and  iron,  three  and 
four  stories  high,  and  equal  to  the  best  business 
streets  in  the  eastern  cities.  Most  of  the  build- 
ings are  anchored  or  braced  with  iron  bolts,  so  as 
to  secure  them  against  the  action  of  earthquakes. 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  GO 

The  ground  in  this  part  of  tlie  toMn  is  level,  be- 
ing made-land  by  grading  the  sand-hills  into  the 
bay.  By  this  process  some  five  hundred  acres 
have  been  reclaimed  from  the  sea.  and  are  now 
quite  densely  occupied.  The  wholesale  and  retail 
stores  are  not  only  imposing  in  the  fronts  they 
present,  but  largely  stocked  with  every  variety  of 
goods  and  products  gathered  from  every  clime. 
The  churches  and  other  public  buildings,  are 
generally  characterized  by  a  corresponding  grand- 
eur and  magniiicence.  The  principal  hotels  are 
spacious  and  fitted  up  in  elegant  style,  and  con- 
ducted on  a  scale  of  liberality,  not  to  say  extrava- 
gance, which  would  astonish  you. 

There  is  no  city  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  I 
think,  in  which  the  leading  business  men  exhibit 
so  much  activity  and  intensity  of  purpose,  so  much 
rushing  ahead  in  the  streets,  as  in  San  Francisco. 
The  business  streets,  from  morning  till  night,  are 
crowded  with  passing  drays,  and  men  stepping  on 
each  other's  heels,  and  jostling  elbows  at  every 
angle,  as  if  life  were  at  stake.  And  more  especial- 
ly is  this  true  on  steamer  days,  so  called  from  the 
sailing  of  the  Panama  steamers  every  two  weeks, 
when  all  merchants  are  expected  to  settle  balances 
with  each  other.  In  doing  this  an  unusual  bustle 
is  created  in  the  streets  and  in  the  banks ;  hun- 
dreds of  men  are  seen  bearing  hither  and  thither 


70  LETTERS    FROM 

sacks  of  gold  coin  on  their  slionklcrs,  containing 
in  some  instances  as  mncli  as  they  can  convenient- 
ly lift.  At  almost  every  shop-door  you  will  hear, 
in  passing,  the  "mnsical  ring"  of  twenty  dollar 
pieces,  as  they  are  connted  out  in  adjustment  of 
dues  and  demands.  On  one  of  these  steamer  days 
I  stepped  into  the  Bank  of  California,  where  I  saw 
more  gold  received  and  paid  out,  and  standing  in 
cord-piles,  than  I  ever  expect  to  see  again.  It  took 
an  army  of  clerks  to  count  the  money.  It  was  a 
rich  sight  worth  going  across  the  continent  to  be- 
hold, especially  in  these  days  when  we  have  noth- 
ing in  the  East  but  filthy  scrip  and  greenbacks. 
This  bank  has  a  capital  of  five  millions,  and  owns 
gold  and  silver  mines,  Government  stocks  and 
real  estate,  valued  at  five  times  its  original  capital. 
In  a  word,  it  controls  the  financial  interests  of  the 
Pacific  coast. 

The  various  nationalities  concentrated  in  San 
Erancisco,  make  it  an  epitome  of  the  civilized 
world.  In  fact,  every  civilized  nation  is  represent- 
ed here.  The  Irish  predominate  and  dominate. 
The  Chinese  are  curiosities.  They  dress  alike,  and 
look  alike,  and  are  really  a  very  shrewed  people. 
Not  much  less  than  thirty  thousand  reside  in  the 
city.  Some  of  them  are  merchants  on  a  large  scale, 
worth  from  thousands  to  millions  of  dollars,  and  are 
truly  very  intelligent  and  accomplished  men.    The 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  71 

Chinese  population  occupy,  almost  exclusively, 
seyeral  of  the  business  streets,  and  follow  all  sorts 
of  trades  and  employments  from  cooks  to  bankers. 
They  all  read  and  write  their  own  language  with 
apparent  facility.  They  have  in  their  tongue  an 
extensive  literature,  consisting  of  novels,  history 
and  philosophy.  They  have  a  religion  founded  on 
the  teachings  of  Confucius,  and  worship  in  temples. 
We  stepped  into  one  of  their  temples,  escorted 
by  a  Chinaman,  and  took  a  view  of  its  interior  and 
the  manner  of  the  worshipers.  The  temple  we 
visited  is  built  of  brick,  stands  retired  from  the 
street  and  in  the  rear  of  other  buildings,  and  is 
reached  by  a  narroAV  passage  between  high  brick 
walls.  In  the  second  story  there  is  a  spacious  hall, 
dusty  and  dismal  as  a  prison,  which  is  but  faintly 
lighted  by  a  single  taper  standing  on  a  sort  of  pul- 
pit or  desk,  near  the  end  of  the  hall.  Behind  this 
desk,  on  a  shelf-like  projection  somewhat  elevated, 
sits  Joss — the  god — before  whom  the  worshipers 
reverently  bow  in  a  kneeling  posture,  hiding  their 
faces  in  their  hands  as  in  prayer,  and  whispering 
a  few  words,  then  rise  and  retire  without  observing 
any  special  order  or  time,  either  in  going  or  coming. 
The  hall  is  decorated  with  fantastical  pictures  of 
man,  beast  and  plant,  and  other  things  unlike  any 
thing  in  nature.  The  graven  image,  Joss,  sitting 
on  his  elevated  seat  behind  the  desk,  resembles  a 


72  LETTERS    FROM 

little  old  man  ;  is  puiiited  black,  and  striped  with 
red  and  yellow,  and  in  outline  presents  a  grotesque 
appearance.  He  has  a  sullen  and  unrelenting  ex- 
pression of  face,  and  with  a  curled  lip  seems  to 
grin  and  gnash  his  teeth,  as  if  he  intended  to  de- 
vour his  delinquent  devotees.  He  is  regarded,  not 
as  the  Good  Spirit,  hut  as  the  Evil  Spirit,  who  in- 
flicts on  the  Celestials  all  the  ills  that  l)efall  them 
in  this  life.  In  the  hope  of  averting  these  ills, 
they  propitiate  his  forbearance  by  worship  and 
offerings.  On  his  right  hand  stands  a  wooden 
horse  saddled  and  bridled  ready  for  him  to  ride; 
on  his  left  stands  a  burning  taper  to  light  his  way. 
He  is  supposed  to  take  a  ride  into  the  wide  world 
in  the  night  time.  In  addition  to  these  they 
furnish  him,  daily,  with  nice  dishes  of  cooked  food, 
such  as  roast  pig,  baked  fowl,  and  other  delicacies, 
which  he  is  presumed  to  relish.  This  supply  of 
food  always  disappears  in  the  night,  and  the  Celes- 
tials believe  Joss  consumes  it.  Near  the  god  there 
is  a  narrow  side-door  in  the  wall  which  opens  into 
the  priest's  apartment,  and  doubtless  the  crafty 
priest  manages  to  live  on  "  the  fat  of  the  land." 

In  regard  to  the  Good  Spirit,  the  Celestials  be- 
lieve that  all  the  blessings  they  enjoy  in  this  life 
are  derived  from  him,  and  that  he  is  too  good  and 
too  kindly  disposed  in  his  nature  to  do  them  harm. 
They  say  he  dwells  in   Heaven,  is  invisible,  and 


THE   PACIFIC   SLOP?::.  73 

undefinable,  and  cannot,  therefore,  be  represented 
by  an  image,  or  elevated  or  gratified  by  hnman 
worship,  but  receives  the  souls  of  all  good  Chinamen 
at  death,  who  live  in  accordance  with  the  divine 
instructions  of  Confucius,  and  whose  dust  is  com- 
mingled, after  death,  with  the  sacred  soil  of  the 
Celestial  Empire.  Hence  every  Chinaman  desires 
to  be  buried  in  his  native  land,  and,  in  case  he  dies 
in  a  foreign  country,  makes  provision  for  the  return 
of  his  remains,  if  possible.  In  San  Francisco,  there 
are  several  organized  companies  among  the  Chinese, 
who  receive  deposits  and  apply  the  money  in  pay- 
ment of  expenses  for  re-shipping  to  China  the  re- 
mains of  their  countrymen,  who  die  in  California. 
This  practice  grows  out  of  their  religious  belief. 
They  are,  indeed,  a  peculiar  people.  There  is 
much  in  their  character,  however,  which  should 
command  the  respect  of  Christendom.  They  are 
an  honest,  industrious,  peace-loving  people,  who 
have  achieved  a  refined  civilization;  a  civilization 
which  is  older,  nobler  and  i)urer  than  tluit  of  Rome, 
Greece  or  Egypt.  The  "  Golden  Rule,"  the  very 
basis  of  Christianity,  was  derived  from  China,  and 
taught  in  China  more  than  four  tliousand  years 
before  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era. 
Their  government  is  based  on  moral  character  and 
educational  acquirement.  Tliey  revere  their  rulers, 
honor  age,  and  ccunmunc  witli  the  spirits  of  tlieir 


74  LETTERS    FROM 

dead.  They  regard  eacli  other  as  a  common 
brotherhood.  Tliey  not  only  excel  in  the  arts,  but 
liave  inventive  genius  of  a  high  order.  They  in- 
vented gunpowder  and  discovered  the  art  of  print- 
ing long  before  either  was  known  in  Europe.  They 
are  imitators  by  instinct,  and  can  do  any  thing  they 
see  done.  Their  language  is  unlike  any  other 
known  language,  ancient  or  modern.  It  consists 
of  about  three  hundred  and  thirty  monosyllables, 
each  of  which  has  four  distinct  sounds,  and  each 
sound  conveys  a  different  thought  or  idea,  and  is 
represented  in  writing  by  a  separate  character. 
The  number  of  characters  employed  is  at  least  forty 
thousand.  It  is,  therefore,  a  difficult  language  to 
acquire. 

It  is  true  the  Chinese  love  money,  and  will  do 
any  thing,  or  suffer  any  hardship,  to  get  it;  yet 
they  are  trustworthy  and  skilful  in  whatever  they 
engage,  and  strive  to  give  their  employers  satisfac- 
tion. In  this  they  seldom  fail.  They  are  general- 
ly liked,  except  by  the  Irish,  who  hate  and  abuse 
them  because  they  cheapen  labor  and  are  preferred. 
They  are  very  considerate  of  the  prejudices  of  white 
men  and  never  intrude,  not  even  to  take  seats  in- 
side street  cars,  but  pay  and  ride  on  the  outside 
platform.  They  are  habitually  j^olite,  civil  and  re- 
spectful, in  wluxtever  position  they  are  placed, 
whether  as  servants  in  families,  or  as  laborers  in 


THE  rAcifjc  SLOPE.  75 

tlie  Avork-sliop,  in  tlie  fcictory  or  field.  Scattered 
along  the  Pacific  slope,  there  are  probal)]y  not  less 
than  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  Chinese,  with  here 
and  there  a  few  Japanese.  Of  late  the  Japanese 
come  in  colonies,  and  propose  growing  silk  and  tea 
in  this  country.  They  regard  the  soil  and  climate 
of  California  as  well  adapted  to  these  products,  and 
doubtless  the  experiment  will  prove  successful. 

In  fact,  these  Asiatics  are  becoming  an  import- 
ant element  in  American  civilization,  and  not  only 
deserve  to  be  encouraged,  but  should  enjoy  equal 
rights  Avith  American  citizens.  We  have  a  vast  un- 
occupied territory  that  needs  developement ;  noth- 
ing but  cheap  labor  can  do  it,  the  more  the  better. 
China  might  spare  a  hundred  millions  of  her  dense 
population  and  hardly  miss  them.  This  country 
could  receive  tluit  number  by  degrees,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  half  century  become  the  mart  and 
master  of  the  world,  if  .she  is  not  already. 

The  uniform  mild  climate  of  the  Pacific  coast 
is  really  an  Asiatic  climate,  happily  adapted  to 
the  occupation  and  developement  of  the  Mongo- 
lian race.  There  is  something  in  the  effect  of 
climate  that  enstamps  its  impress  on  the  race  to 
which  it  is  adapted.  Hence  the  Mexicans,  the 
Indians,  the  Pacific  islanders,  the  Japanese,  the 
Chinese,  and  Hindostanese  belong  to  an  Asiatic 
climate,  and  are  constituted  essentiallv  alike   in 


Tf;  LETTERS    FROM 

their  color,  statue,  and  other  leading  characteris- 
tics. It  is  evident  from  the  history  of  races  that 
the  Anglo-Saxon  cannot  flourish  in  a  warm, 
equable  climate.  His  nature  requires  the  extremes 
of  heat  and  cold,  as  marked  by  the  four  seasons  in 
higher  latitudes.  In  a  uniform  mild  climate  he 
will  gradually  deteriorate,  and  finally  become  ex- 
tinct. People  the  Pacific  coast  with  Saxons,  and 
allow  no  accessions  or  intermixture  for  a  centuiy 
or  two,  and  I  doubt  not  the  law  of  climate  would 
greatly  modify  their  native  characteristics,  if  it 
did  not  extinsruish  them. 


LETTER  X. 


San  Francisco,  October  SOth,  1869. 

Gold  not  only  concentrates  but  begets  tulent. 
This  is  fully  illustrated  in  the  history  of  San 
Francisco.  Here  you  will  find,  concentrated,  more 
men  who  excel  in  every  art  and  science,  than 
in  any  other  city  in  the  world  containing  the  same 
population.  This  is  true,  whether  you  refer  to 
genius  and  excellence,  as  exhibited  in  the  pulpit, 
at  the  bar,  on  the  bench,  at  the  counter,  or  in  the 
workshop.  The  public  libraries  are  numerous,  and 
some  of  them  extensive.  The  Mercantile  library 
contains  over  thirty  thousand  volumes.  The  pub- 
lic schools  are  conducted  with  great  efRciency  and 
sustained  by  a  liberal  taxation.  The  churches,  of 
which  there  are  some  sixty  or  more,  are  also  liber- 
ally sustained  and  generally  well  attended.  The 
church  in  Avhicli  the  late  >Starr  King  preached,  is 
among  the  most  attractive  for  its  size,  tinish  and 
arrangements.     The    societv    built    it    in    aceor- 


78  LETTERS    FRO-M 

dance  with  his  taste  and  })lan.  He  was  a  very 
popular,  eloquent  and  genial  g'entleman,  as  Avellas 
an  ardent  patriot  and  preacher.  He  wielded  an 
iinbonnded  influence  not  only  in  the  city,  but 
throughout  the  state.  The  church  is  his  monu- 
ment, lie  sleejis  in  its  lawn  and  beneatli  its  sha- 
dow. 

The  Jewish  synagogue,  on  8utter  street,  is  a 
veiy  large  and  im})osing  edifice,  richly  hnislied  in- 
side and  out,  and  in  point  of  wealth  and  grandeur 
might  be  taken  for  Solomon's  temple.  Its  circu- 
lar towers  overlook  the  city,  and  like  the  shot  tower, 
are  among  the  first  objects  that  attract  the  strang- 
er's eye.  The  "  old  Mission  Church,"  on  Mission 
street,  built  of  adobe  by  the  Jesuits  nearly  one  hun- 
dred years  ago,  is  an  interesting  relic  of  olden  time, 
and  well  worth  a  visit.  The  Catholics  are  suppo- 
sed to  be  the  most  numerous  religious  sect  in  San 
Francisco,  the  Protestants  next,  and  then  the  Jews. 
A  large  number  of  the  merchants,  it  is  said,  are 
Jews ;  the  balance  French,  Spaniards,  Italians, 
Germans,  Scotch,  English,  Irish,  Chinese  and 
Americans.  In  the  latter  class  are  embraced  nearly 
all  the  leading  merchants  of  the  city.  Tliey  are 
the  men  of  backbone  and  enterprise,  who  build  the 
city  and  pay  the  burthen  of  its  taxation. 

The  trade  and  commerce  of  San  Francisco  have 
become    comparatively    immense.      In   less   than 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  7^ 

tAventy  years  the  merchandise  export  trade  has  in- 
creased from  one  million  and  a  half  to  twenty-two 
millions  of  dollars  per  annnm.  The  gold  exports 
average  for  the  last  twenty-one  years  neai-ly  fifty 
millions  per  annum.  Though  the  gold  mines  are 
less  productive  than  formerly,  the  silver  mines 
have  largely  increased  their  productions,  and 
pi'omise  a  still  more  liberal  yield  for  the  future. 

The  climate  here  is  always  temperate  and  de- 
lightful, not  excepting  the  rainy  season,  Avhich  is 
made  up,  like  our  Ajjril,  of  sunshine  and  showers.. 
The  thermometer  rarely  varies  more  than  seven 
degrees.  But  twice  in  the  last  twenty  years  have 
snow-flakes  whitened  the  ground,  or  been  known 
to  fall  in  San  Francisco.  For  at  least  three-fourths 
of  the  year  you  may  here  enjoy  a  continous  sun- 
shine, without  the  interruption  of  a  cloud.  Woolen 
clothing  is  worn  the  year  round  by  the  citizens. 
The  nights  are  always  cool,  and  you  sleep  well. 
The  markets  are  stocked  throughout  the  year  Avith 
the  best  of  beef,  mutton,  wild  game,  fish  and  fowl, 
including  every  variety  of  fruits  and  garden  vege- 
tables. The  gardens  furnish  strawl)erries,  green 
corn,  green  jieas,  new  j^otatoes,  and  other  luxuries 
of  this  character  in  abundance,  every  month  in  the 
year.  The  fruits  and  vegetables  are  as  excellent 
in  quality  as  they  are  remarkable  for  size.  Onions 
grow  as  large  as  tea-i)lates;  beets  sometimes  weigh 


80  LETTERS    FROM 

from  fifty  to  sevi'iity-five  pounds  apiece ;  sweet  po- 
tatoes five  to  six  pounds ;  pears  two  pounds ;  ap- 
ples one  pound ;  peaches  half  a  pound ;  a  stem  of 
grapes  from  five  to  twelve  pounds.  Breadstuffs 
are  exceedingly  cheap.  Fuel  is  not  much  used  ex- 
cept for  cooking. 

A  man  may  live  here  for  fifty  cents  a  day.  or  at 
the  rate  of  five  dollars  a  day,  and  so  far  as  food  is 
concerned  about  equally  well  at  either  price. 
Wages  are  high ;  laborers  who  are  skilful  are  scarce, 
while  speculators  are  quite  too  numerous.  And 
yet  the  city  is  full  of  idlers  who  live,  nobody 
knows  how.  You  see  them  at  every  corner  in  the 
business  streets,  standing  in  groups  earnestly  dis- 
cussing or  cursing  their  luck  and  prosj^ects.  The 
hotels  overflow  with  strangers  comino:  and  ffoinof, 
all  on  tlie  rush.  On  some  of  the  streets,  nearly 
every  other  door  opens  into  a  drinking  saloon, 
gambling  den,  or  something  worse.  The  gamblers 
dress  richly  and  overload  themseh'es  with  ostenta- 
tious jewelry.  There  is  no  place  so  safe  that  thieves 
do  not  "break  ilirough  and  steak"  And  yet  there 
is  as  much  good  society  to  be  found  in  San  Francis- 
co as  in  any  other  city  of  the  same  population. 
They  are  a  social,  genial,  generous  people,  especi- 
ally the  better  classes.  They  appreciate  talent.  A 
high  order  of  talent  commands  any  price  it  pleases 
to  ask,  in  the  pulpit,  at  the  concert,  or  in  the  lee- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  81 

ture-hall.  Their  editors  and  magaziuists  are  men 
of  eminent  abilities.  The  "  Overland  Monthly," 
for  originality,  freshness,  and  vigor  of  thought,  ex- 
cels its  Eastern  contemporaries. 

The  city  has  natnral  advantages  which  cannot 
be  taken  away  from  her.  She  has  no  rival,  and 
need  fear  none.  She  sits  majestic  on  her  throne 
of  hills,  and  bathes  her  feet  in  the  sea.  Telegrapli- 
hill  is  her  flag-statf.  It  looks  in  the  distance  like 
a  church  spire,  and  is  built  with  dwellings  to  its 
apex.  From  its  highest  point  floats  the  American 
flag,  as  a  signal  to  ships  at  sea,  seeking  to  enter 
the  Golden  Gate.  The  islands  in  the  bay  are  small, 
but  exceedingly  picturesque,  and  look  like  emeralds 
bestudding  the  bosom  of  the  ocean.  The  Govern- 
ment occupies  several  of  them  for  military  pui-jio- 
ses.  Nature  opened  the  golden  gate  by  cleaving 
asunder  a  mountain  range,  and  left  it  open.  Any 
ship  can  pass  through  it  that  pleases,  except  a  pub- 
lic enemy.  The  adjoining  fort,  ])uilt  as  it  were  on 
one  of  the  gate-posts — a  bluff — commands  the  en- 
trance. If  an  enemy  should  attempt  to  pass,  one 
broadside  from  the  guns  of  the  fort  would  annihi- 
late him. 

Montgomery  street  is  the  Broadway  of  San 
Francisco.  It  is  thronged  from  morning  till  night 
with  a  richly  dressed  people,  many  men,  and  some 
fair  women.     In  other  words,  it  is  the  fashionable 


S2  1>ETTERS    FROM 

shop  row  of  the  city,  elegantly  buih  and  stocked. 
Here  you  will  find  every  thing  lieart  can  wish,  and 
the  thing  you  will  most  wish  will  be  gold  in  your 
purse.  They  keep  splendid  goods,  and  ask  extra- 
vagant prices.  Rents  throughout  the  city  are  ex- 
cessive. In  the  business  part  of  the  city  some 
stores  pay  a  rent  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  mouth. 
Houses  that  are  merely  ordinary,  rent  from  two 
to  three  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  better  class 
houses  for  five  thousand.  Taxes  are  still  more  ex- 
cessive than  rents.  How^  people  contrive  to  live 
here  is  to  me  a  mystery.  Yet  everybody  dresses 
well  and  appears  to  live  well.  There  is  seldom  a 
professional  beggar  to  be  seen. 

In  the  evening  Avhen  the  street  lamps  are  light- 
ed, if  you  climb  flag-staff  hill  and  take  a  survey  of 
the  brilliant  scene,  you  will  think  you  have  caught 
a  view^  of  the  great  celestial  city,  all  ablaze  with 
glory,  and  undulating  in  billows  of  light  over  a  vast 
range  of  hills  and  valleys,  where  the  infinite  armies 
of  the  blest,  clad  in  glittei-ing  raiment,  are  march- 
ing on  from  height  to  height,  until  lost  in  the 
unbounded  domain  of  the  burning  stars. 

There  are  several  public  gardens  within  the  city 
which  are  filled  with  all  that  is  rich  and  rare  in 
art  and  nature,  especially  Woodward's.  In  the  sub- 
urbs, also,  there  are  many  pleasant  places  of  public 
resort.     The  Cliff  House  is  one  of  the  most  popu- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  83 

luT,  situated  about  ten  miles  from  the  city,  on  a 
rocky  point  of  land  extending  into  the  ocean. 
Here  we  saw  hundreds  of  seals  sleeping  on  the  rocks 
or  frolicking  or  diving  in  the  sea.  Some  of  them 
are  very  large,  weighing  from  three  to  live  hundred 
pounds,  aud  when  gathered  on  the  rocks  some- 
times quarrel  and  howl  like  a  pack  of  hounds  in 
full  chase.  Thev  have  heads  much  like  dogs, 
short  legs,  and  are  usually  of  a  brown  color.  The 
rocks  look  like  old  ruined  castles,  and  stand  out  a 
little  way  from  shore  in  the  sea,  yet  in  plain  sight 
from  the  Cliff  House.  These  rocks,  at  all  times  of 
day,  are  covered  with  seals  which  are  regarded  by 
visitors  as  objects  of  great  curiosity  and  interest. 
Here  you  will  see  pleasure  parties,  the  elite  of  the 
city,  arriving  and  departing  at  all  hours  in  the 
day.  The  house  keeps  every  kind  of  refreshments 
the  '•  inner  man  "  can  desire,  and  furnishes  a  band 
of  musicians  in  addition.  The  gaities  and  fes- 
tivities of  this  delightful  resort  excel  in  interest 
anything  of  the  kind  we  have  ever  before  seen. 
Here  you  can  dance  or  sing,  eat,  drink  aud  be 
merry ;  ogle  the  seals,  or  ogle  the  girls,  as  you 
please.  Whatever  else  you  may  do,  you  are  not 
allowed  to  disturb  the  seals.  They  are  protected 
by  law,  and  seem  to  enjoy  tliemselves  hugely,  and 
to  care  for  nobody.' 

In  going  to  the  Cliff  House,  we  took  the  turn- 


84  LETTEKS    FROM 

pike,  whicli  is  as  fine  a  road  as  there  is  in  the 
world,  and  returned  by  the  ocean  beach,  along 
the  water's  edge,  on  the  trackless  sand,  which  was 
as  hard  as  a  pavement.  On  our  riglit  was  the 
vast  ocean,  rolling  landward  its  mountain  billows, 
which  broke  on  the  sand  beneath  our  carriage 
wheels ;  and  on  our  left  lay  a  sandy  plain,  covered 
with  little  sand-hills,  of  conical  shape,  which  had 
been  moulded  by  the  ocean  winds,  and  over  Avhich 
had  grown  a  wild  myrtle,  giving  them  the  appear- 
ance of  hay-cocks  in  a  farmer's  meadow.  As  the 
billows  broke  on  shore,  the  spray  drifted  over  us, 
and  refreshed  the  myrtle  with  a  dewy  baptism,  as 
if  flung  from  the  godly  fingers  of  old  Neptune 
himself.  The  scene  was  one  of  great  beauty  and 
grandeur,  connected  as  it  was  with  a  sunset,  which 
threw  a  brilliant  pathway  on  the  ocean,  glowing 
as  if  paved  with  fire,  and  which  seemed  to  span 
the  restless  and  untrodden  deep,  and  lead  upward 
from  earth  to  Heaven,  until  lost  in  the  mysteries 
of  the  infinite. 


LETTER  XI. 


San  Fkancisco,  November  5th,  1869. 

In  this  fcimous  city  and  in  its  snrronndings, 
there  are  so  many  places  of  interest  to  a  stranger 
that  I  tind  it  impossible  to  visit  them  all.  A  lew 
days  ago  we  took  a  drive  on  the  San  Brnno  tnrn- 
pike,  a  delightful  load  that  winds  along  the  mar- 
gin of  the  bay,  and  around  the  spurs  of  Mount 
Bruno,  that  terminate  upon  it.  On  the  one  hand 
lay  the  placid  waters  of  the  bay ;  on  the  other, 
mountain  spurs  and  intervening  valleys  of  rare 
beauty.  It  is  one  of  Nature's  theatres,  in  which 
she  appears  clad  in  all  her  native  charms. 

Along  the  line  of  the  bay,  and  within  a  fcAv 
rods  of  us,  thousands  of  Avaterfowl,  ducks  and 
geese,  were  swimming,  or  flying  about  in  groups, 
quite  fearless  of  man  and  thoughtless  of  danger. 
On  the  land-side,  the  natural  scenery  was  ever 
varying,  as  we  rounded  the  sharp  points  and  pro- 
jections of  the   mountain    spurs.     Here    was   an 


86  LETTERS    FllOM 

alcove,  and  there  a  cradled  valley,  of  surpassing 
beauty.  Some  of  these  valleys  are  occu})ied  by 
settlers.  It  was  cheering  to  see  the  neat  farm- 
house, tlie  wliite  cottage  on  the  hillside,  the  garden, 
the  meadow,  and  the  cultivated  lields.  It  is  here 
that  you  may  find  not  only  the  ''  happy  valley," 
but  a  great  many  of  them.  The  views  in  every 
direction,  from  the  hills  and  from  the  bay,  are 
grand,  combining  the  romantic  with  the  beautiful. 

In  the  distance,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
bay.  Mount  Diablo  lifts  his  giant  form,  as  if  taking 
a  quiet  survey  of  this  lovely  realm.  Pie  feels  in- 
terested, I  doubt  not,  in  the  "  march  of  civiliza- 
tion," and  is  waiting  patiently  for  opportunities. 
They  say,  go  where  you  will,  the  evil  one  is  ever 
present.  Diablo  is  a  prominent  landmark,  being 
the  meridian  point  in  the  survey  of  the  State ;  a 
lofty  mountain,  standing  alone  in  the  midst  of  the 
surrounding  plains.  There  is  an  extensive  coal 
mine  connected  with  it,  that  furnishes  several  of 
the  neighboring  towns  with  fuel.  In  the  course 
of  our  ride  we  crossed  the  San  Jose  Railroad,  and 
stopped  to  rest  our  horses  at  a  ftirm-house,  belong- 
ing to  our  friend,  one  of  the  party,  wlio  resides  in 
the  city.  We  returned  by  the  Mission  Bay  route, 
led  by  the  stars.  It  was  a  delightful  excursion, 
and  one  which  we  shall  long  remember. 

We  next  visited  the   famous   Dry  Dock,   at 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  87 

Hunters  Point,  on  the  bay.  It  is  u  marvelous 
Avork,  which  does  the  engineer,  who  phmned  and 
excavated  it,  infinite  credit.  It  is  cut  in  soh'd 
rock,  originally  the  spur  of  a  mountain,  which 
projected  into  the  bay.  It  is  oval  in  shape,  and 
looks  like  a  vast  stone  trough.  It  is  four  hundred 
and  sixty-five  feet  long,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  wide  and  forty-five  deep,  and  receives  the 
largest  class  of  ships.  It  cost  over  a  million  of 
dollars,  and  belongs  to  a  joint  stock  company. 
There  is  nothing  like  it,  or  that  can  equal  it  for 
convenience,  elsewhere. 

There  are  so  many  pleasant  spots,  villas  and 
toAvns,  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Francisco,  that  it  is 
quite  impossible  for  me  to  describe  the  half  of 
them.  The  truth  is,  it  is  a  realm  of  natural 
beauty,  so  improved  by  art,  as  to  baflfle  my  descrip- 
tive powers.  If  you  would  kuoAv  all  about  it, 
you  must  come  and  see  for  yourself;  there  is 
positively  no  other  way  of  acquiring  a  true  knowl- 
edge of  this  more  than  fairy  land ;  and  especiallv 
is  this  true  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay.  You 
can  go  over  by  steamer  any  hour  in  the  day  yon 
please  ;  and  if  you  go  once,  you  Avill  be  sure  to  go 
several  times. 

Oakland  is  the  first  town  over  the  bay  you 
will  prefer  to  visit.  It  stands  in  about  the  same 
relation  to  San  Francisco  that  Brooklvn  does  to 


88  LETTERS    FROM 

New  York.  It  is,  ;i.s  a  place  of  residence,  otic  of 
the  most  deligiitfnl  I  ever  saAv.  Many  of  the 
leading  niercluiiits  and  professional  gentlemen, 
who  do  business  in  San  Francisco,  reside  here, 
and  have  built  themselves  palatial  dwellings,  with 
spacious  lawns,  gardens  and  orchards  attached. 
The  streets  are  broad,  air}',  and  cleanly  as  a  park. 
In  fact,  the  town  is  but  a  park  highly  cultivated 
and  ornamented  with  all  that  is  beautiful  in  nature 
ami  in  art;  contains  about  seven  thousand  inhab- 
itants; is  rapidly  advancing,  and  has  a  liberal 
sprinkling  of  tine  churches  and  excellent  schools. 
The  name,  Oakland,  has  been  given  it  because  it 
is  located  in  the  midst  of  an  extensive  grove  of 
native  evergeen  oaks.  Among  its  best  schools 
there  is  one  conduct3d  by  individual  enterprise,  in 
which  a  full  course  of  literary  and  military  in- 
struction is  com1)ined.  It  is  popular,  and  enjoys 
a  generous  patronage.  We  visited  it  and  wit- 
nessed the  military  drill  of  the  pupils.  The  exer- 
cises were  exceedingly  interesting,  and  performed 
with  an  efficiency,  accuracy,  and  soldier-like  bear- 
ing, that  quite  astonished  us.  It  is  a  rare,  good 
school. 

Near  Oakland,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the 
bay,  is  Alameda,  a  rural  town  of  ten  or  twelve 
hundred  inhabitants,  who  reside  in  the  midst  of 
flower  gardens  and  vineyards,  and  beautiftilly  cul- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  89 

tiviited  farms,  and  seem  to  enjoy  all  that  it  is 
possible  for  an  earthly  paradise  to  afford.  Ala- 
meda is,  in  fact,  tlie  ''Garden  of  the  State."  The 
lands  are  level ;  the  soil  rich ;  the  air  pure  and 
cool,  yet  summer-like  the  year  round.  It  is  dis- 
tinguished for  its  numerous  orchards  of  apples, 
pears,  peaches  and  other  fruits,  as  well  as  for  its 
fine  vineyards.  Indeed  every  kind  of  fruit  and 
vegetable  that  can  be  desired,  grows  here  in  great 
perfection  and  abundance.  The  live  oak  is  scat- 
tered over  the  plain,  giving  to  the  entire  region 
the  a})pearance  of  being  an  old  ai)ple  orchard,  for 
the  reason  that  this  species  of  oak  looks  exactly 
like  an  aged  appletree.  This  grove  land  is  called 
in  the  Spanish  language  the  "  Encinal."  Yet  it 
is  a  cultivated  land  of  fruits  and  flowers  and 
happy  homes. 

While  here  Ave  were  entertained  at  the  house 
of  a  friend,  who  is  a  distinguished  lawyer,  doing 
business  in  San  Francisco.  He  has  an  accom- 
plished lady  for  a  wife,  and  a  fine  family  of  prom- 
ising children,  almost  "  too  numerous  to  mention," 
and  is  evidently  one  of  the  happiest  men  alive, 
amid  all  his  cares  and  responsibilities.  His  house 
is  a  spacious  one,  furnished  in  modern  style,  and 
located  in  a  ten-acre  garden,  which  is  cultivated 
to  a  high  degree  in  all  that  is  not  only  useful,  but 
rare  and  l)eautiful.     It  was  late  in  October  when 


00  LETTERS    FKO-M 

we  were  tliere,  and  at  that  time  apples  and  pears 
had  ripened  and  fallen  to  the  ground,  and  Avere 
so  abundant  that  they  could  neither  be  sold  nor 
given  away.  We  passed  orchards  in  which  there 
were  thousands  of  bushels  of  apples  and  pears 
13'ingon  the  ground  and  going  to  decay  ;  the  very 
best,  largest  and  finest  fruit  I  ever  saw.  It  was  a 
pitiful  sight.  But  we  Avere  told  that  it  cost  more 
to  send  them  to  market  than  they  would  bring, 
though  the  distance  bv  rail  and  steamer  to  San 
Francisco  is  only  twelve  miles.  It  seems  almost 
incredible  that  such  a  waste  of  fruit  should  be 
permitted  so  near  a  large  city,  where  it  could  be 
sold  at  moderate  prices,  were  not  the  freights  so 
exhorbitant.  It  is  evident  that  California  needs 
an  increase  of  transportation  facilities. 

The  little  village  of  Hay  ward,  twenty-two  miles 
south-east  of  San  Francisco,  is  somewhat  noted 
for  its  hot  springs,  which  are  medicinal  and  often 
visited  by  invalids.  The  village  is  cheaply  built, 
with  small  frame  buildings,  standing  two  or  three 
feet  high  from  the  ground,  on  wooden  blocks  or 
stilts.  The  earthquake  of  October  21st,  1808, 
destroyed,  it  was  said,  most  of  the  town.  The 
buildings  were  not  in  fact  destroyed,  but  merely 
thrown  from  their  legs  to  the  ground.  It  was  a 
sort  of  a  vibrating  wrestle  Avith  an  earthquake, 
which  the  denizens  did  not  much  relish.     Every- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  91 

body  was  frightened,  but  nobody  ■iiiirt.  Yet  it 
was  one  of  the  most  violent  sliocks  of  earthqiuike 
known  on  tliis  part  of  tlie  Pacific  coast  for  many 
years.  It  was  severely  felt  at  several  points.  The 
electrical  currents,  or  forces,  seemed  to  move  in 
belts.  In  an  extensive  meadow,  at  Alameda,  the 
earth  opened  for  several  miles  in  a  direction  at 
right  angles  with  a  board  fence,  and  closed  up 
with  such  violence  as  to  leave  a  ridge  in  the  soil, 
resembling  a  double  furrow  turned  by  a  plow. 
The  fence  at  the  point  of  intersection  parted,  and 
was  no  Avhere  else  disjointed  ;  but  in  the  re-action 
did  not  reach  its  original  position  by  two  feet. 
Some  one  has  more  land  there,  now,  than  he  pur- 
chased.    Whose  is  it  ? 

The  shocks  of  the  earthquake  were  more  de- 
structive in  8an  Francisco  than  elsewhere.  The 
currents  of  electricity  passed  in  two  distinct  belts 
through  the  city.  The  range  of  the  belts,  or 
tracks,  were  nearly  parallel,  as  marked  by  the 
damage  that  was  done.  In  the  business  part  of 
the  city  the  walls  of  the  brick  buildings  were  in 
many  instances  cracked,  or  shattered,  while  some 
were  prostrated  in  ruins,  killing  a  few  persons 
outright,  and  terrifying  the  citizens  generally. 
The  first  shock  occurred  about  the  usual  break- 
fast hour.  This  was  the  severest,  and  did  not 
prove  a   desirable    appetizer.     The    fashionables, 


*32  LKTTKKS    FROM 

who  Ijotird  ;it  hotels  and  sleep  late  in  the  morn- 
ing, sprang  from  their  beds  and  ran  into  the 
streets  withont  making  their  toilettes,  and  enac- 
ted such  a  comedy  as  was  never  before  Avitnessed. 
Every  street  was  a  theatre,  and  croAvded  to  over- 
flowing— seats  free — yet  every  one  was  puzzled  in 
knowing  Avhen  to  applaud.  The  ridiculous  scenes 
which  occurred,  however,  have  been  remembered, 
and  Avill  never  cease  to  be  the  subject  of  merri- 
ment. And  yet  an  earth(|uake  is  a  serious  matter. 
A  Franklin  disarmed  the  lightning,  but  Avho  shall 
disarm  the  earthquake  ?  Science  may  yet  do  it. 
Nothing  is  impossible. 


LETTER  XII. 


Los  Angeles,  Novemlicr  10th,  1869. 

We  left  San  Franci.sco  on  tlie  Gtli  in.st.,  and 
after  a  voyage  ])y  the  coast  steamer  of  two  days 
and  a  half,  entered  the  Bay  of  San  Pedro,  where 
w^e  were  transferred  to  a  small  class  steamer  and 
taken  seven  miles  np  the  bay  to  Wilmina-ton  : 
thence  by  rail,  twenty-two  miles,  to  this  ancient 
city.  There  is  just  now  a  great  rush  of  ti'avel  to 
this  and  other  towns  along  the  coast,  especially  to 
San  Diego,  where  the  Southern  Pacific  Eailroad, 
as  it  is  expected,  will  make  its  terminus.  The 
steamer  on  which  we  came,  left  port  with  three 
hundred  passengers,  and  was  overladen  with 
freight ;  the  sea  rough,  and  nearly  all  sick ;  some 
swore  and  some  cascaded.  On  the  way  Ave  saw  a 
whale  spouting  and  frolicking  within  two  hun- 
dred yards  .of  the  ship.  He  frequently  showed 
his  back  above  water,  and  in  spouting,  gave  us  a 
good  specimen  of  the  fountain,  when  playing,  in 


i^ 


04  LETTERS    FROM 

our  CleveUiiuI  Park.  We  sto}iped  on  the  way  at 
Santa  Barbara  for  a  short  time,  to  deliver  freight 
and  receive  passengers.  It  is  an  old  Spanish  town, 
of  about  six  thousand  inhabitants,  located  on  the 
plain  and  hill-side,  close  to  the  bay.  It  is  noted 
for  having  i)roduecd  the  largest  grape  vine  known 
on  the  American  continent.  This  celebrated  vine 
has  a  main  trunk  eight  feet  high  and  fifteen  in- 
ches in  diameter,  and  throws  off  long  branches, 
which  take  root  and  extend  like  the  Banyan  tree, 
covering  a  large  space  of  ground.  It  was  planted 
nearly  a  century  ago,  by  a  Spanish  lady,  and  bore 
last  year  six  tons  of  grapes.  On  the  hill-side, 
near  the  limits  of  the  town,  stands  an  old  cathe- 
dral, an  imposing  structure,  built  by  the  Jesuits 
almost  a  hundred  years  ago.  It  commands  a  fine 
view  of  the  town ;  and  the  valley  lands  in  its 
vicinity  are  rich  and  highly  cultivated..  Ameri- 
cans are  now  settling  here  so  rapidly  that  specu- 
lation in  lands  has  created  a  feverish  excitement, 
not  only  in  this  locality,  but  along  the  entire  coast. 
Los  Angeles  is  indebted  to  the  Jesuits  for  its 
name,  which  means  "The  City  of  the  Angels;" 
but  judging  from  the  specimens  I  have  seen  here, 
I  should  say  that  their  visits  have  been  "  few  and 
far  between,"  unless  angels  are  made  up  of  mixed 
bloods,  and  of  all  colors,  and  sadly  made  up  at 
that.     Tak:'  it  aUogether,  it  is  a  unique  old  town, 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  95 

full  of  oddities  and  whimsicalities.  Half  the 
population  is  Mexican,  the  other  half  Amerii-an, 
English,  Scotch,  Irish,  German,  and  the  Lord 
knows  what;  yet  there  is  a  goodly  number  of  in- 
telligent, refined  and  accomi)lished  people,  who 
reside  here  and  give  tone  to  society.  The  learned 
professions  appear  to  be  overstocked,  yet  each  is 
represented  by  some  individuals  of  distinguished 
talent.  The  city,  with  few  exceptions,  is  built  in 
Mexican  style,  and  wears  a  dilapidated  look.  It 
contains  a  population,  they  say,  of  about  twenty 
thousand.  The  roofs  of  the  houses  are  generally 
flat  and  the  walls  adobe.  It  is  situated  at  the 
base  of  the  foot-hills,  about  thirty  miles  from  the 
line  of  the  sea  coast,  and  extends  into  the  plain 
for  a  considerable  distance.  It  includes  within 
its  limits  many  fine  gardens,  vineyards  and  orange 
groves.  It  is  emphatically  the  land  of  fruits  and 
flowers,  always  fresh  and  fascinating.  If  not  the 
first,  it  is  the  second  edition  of  the  true  Garden 
of  Eden. 

The  climate  here  is  the  finest  in  the  world, 
never  too  hot  and  never  too  cold,  ])ut  always  equa- 
ble and  exhilarating.  It  never  rains  except  in 
winter;  the  fruit  trees,  the  gardens  and  the  vine- 
yards are  ever  flourishing,  and  commingle  fruits 
and  flowers  in  perennial  profusion.  The  winter 
rains  are  nothiuir  more  than  irenial  showers.     In 


96  lettp:r8  from 

fact,  the  winter  is  like  our  spring,  when  tlie  leaves 
of  the  trees,  and  the  buds  and  the  flowers  burst 
into  life,  and  the  fields  become  green. 

In  the  vicinity  there  are  several  extensive 
orange  and  lemon  groves,  as  well  as  vineyards  and 
other  fruits.  The  orange  grove  we  visited  con- 
tains twelve  hundred  and  sixty  trees,  sixteen 
years  old,  and  was  ladened  Avith  fruit  in  every 
stage  of  growth  from  buds  and  blossoms  to  ripe 
fruit.  The  average  annual  crop  from  each  tree, 
we  were  told,  yields  a  profit  of  seventy-five  dol- 
lars. We  also  saw  a  grove  of  the  English  walnut, 
the  annual  product  of  which,  jier  tree,  was  esti- 
mated at  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars. 
In  addition  to  these  they  cultivate  many  other 
kinds  of  fruit  with  equal  success,  if  not  Avith 
equal  profit,  such  as  figs,  olives,  dates,  limes,  pears, 
peaches,  and  apples.  It  is  here  that  the  two 
climes,  the  tem})erate  and  the  tropical,  seem  to 
overla})  each  other,  and  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
the  excellence  and  abundance  of  their  productions. 

From  Los  Angeles,  which  we  regarded  as  our 
base,  or  central  point,  we  made  an  excursion  into 
the  country,  and  visited  several  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive ranches  within  the  circuit  of  a  hundred 
miles,  traveling  in  an  open  carriage.  A  ranch  is 
simply  an  old  Spanish  plantation,  containing 
usuallv   from  ten   thousand   to  one  hundred  and 


THE    PACIFIC    SI.Ol'K.  07 

fifty  thnusand  ucivs,  and  sometimes  more ;  in  or 
near  the  centre  of  wliich  stands  an  old  flat-roofed 
house,  built  of  adolie.  m  hicli  is  a  large  Sf|nare  mud 
brick,  dried  in  the  sun,  instead  of  bein<i"  burned 
in  a  kiln.  Tlie  house  is  <i:eneral]y  consti'ucted  in 
the  shape  of  a  iiarallelogram,  inclosing  an  o])en 
court,  and  having  on  the  outside  an  open  })()rtico. 
It  is  a  (pieer  looking  sort  of  a  mansion;  yet,  in 
the  olden  time,  it  possessed  all  the  charms  of  a 
royal  jjalace  in  the  estimation  of  the  populace. 
It  was  in  ])alatial  residences  of  this  character,  that 
llie  richer  classes  of  the  Mexicans  and  Spaniards 
took  their  ease  and  lived  in  comparative  luxury, 
until  the  war  with  Mexico  occurred,  when  they 
were  annexed  to  the  United  States. 

After  the  war  they  atteniitted  to  adopt  Ameri- 
can habits,  and  to  live  in  American  style  ;  tlie 
result  was,  they  became  extravagant,  and  soon  so 
encumbered  their  estates  that  they  were  obliged 
to  sell  them  at  nominal  prices.  The  Americans 
were  the  purchasers,  and  obtained  the  lands,  in 
many  instances,  as  low  as  ten  cents  an  acre.  Some 
of  these  large  tracts,  thus  obtained,  are  now  worth 
from  five  to  fifty  dollars  an  acre.  They  compose 
the  best  lands  in  California,  and  extend  in  a  chain 
of  valleys  from  San  Diego  to  San  Francisco,  and 
even  along  the  entire  coast  of  the  State.  The 
appearance  of  these  ranch    lands  in   tlu'  summer 


98  LETTERS    FROM 

and  fall  months  is  quite  unlike  the  green  lields 
Ave  see  in  the  Eastern  States.  Here  the  grasses 
acquire  a  rank  growth  after  the  I'ains  in  winter 
and  during  the  early  spring,  and  then  become 
perfectly  dry,  still  standing  upright  where  they 
grew,  and  thus  remain,  for  seven  or  eight  months, 
during  the  rainless  season,  as  dry  and  sweet  as 
the  best  of  hay  preserved  in  a  barn.  While  in 
this  condition,  these  grasses  are  still  rich  and  nu- 
trative,  and  afford  abundant  feed  for  the  vast 
herds  of  sheep,  cattle  and  horses,  that  roam  at 
large  over  the  plains.  In  a  word,  Nature  does  the 
haying,  and  leaves  man  with  little  to  do,  except 
to  guard  his  flocks  and  herds,  and  take  it  easy. 
The  old  grass  remains  sufficient  and  in  good  con- 
dition until  the  new  grass  appears  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  early  winter  rains  ;  it  then  jEtills,  and 
in  its  decay,  serves  to  enrich  the  soil. 

"We  visited  several  ranches,  and  Avere  not  only 
politely  received  and  entertained,  but  acquired  an 
interesting,  though  l)rief,  experience  of  ranch  life. 
We  remained  nearly  a  week  at  the  ranch,  known 
as  the  (San  Joaquin.  This  ranch  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  ten  thousand  acres,  and  is  stocked 
Avith  forty  thousand  fine-Avooled  sheep.  In  extent, 
it  is  one  of  the  largest  ranches  south  of  Los 
Angeles,  being  some  tAvelve  miles  Avide  by  tAventy 
long.    It  is  mostly  valley  land,  and  stretches  from 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  00 

tlie  foot-hills  to  the  sen.  In  sonn'  of  tht-  hills, 
within  its  boundaries,  mines  of  coal  and  (luieksil- 
ver  have  recently  been  discovered,  which  promise 
to  become  valuable.  The  ranch  is  amply  watered 
l)y  springs,  and  a  chain  of  small  lagoons,  extend- 
ing through  it,  centrally,  supposed  to  be  a  subter- 
ranean river,  from  the  connection  there  is  in  the 
hidden  currents  that  pass  from  one  lagoon  to 
another,  and  the  tremulous  character  of  the  soil, 
which  seems  to  rest  on  its  surface.  In  some  i)laces, 
if  you  thrust  a  pole  through  the  turf,  it  disappears 
at  once,  and  is  never  seen  again. 

These  lagoons  terminate  in  a  small  ])ay,  which 
extends  from  the  ocean  into  the  ranch  about  two 
miles.  On  the  shore  of  this  bay  I  saw  a  camp  of 
Mexican  fishermen,  who  Avere  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing oil  from  the  carcasses  of  sharks,  which 
they  catch  in  abundance  along  the  sea  coast.  The 
Mexicans  make  this  a  profitable  business.  They 
go  out  to  sea  in  small  boat?,  and  catch  the  sharks 
by  harpooning  or  shooting  them,  as  they  rise  to 
the  surface  in  their  eagerness  to  swallow  the  bait 
flung  to  them.  When  caught,  they  are  towed  into 
the  bay,  and  so  great  is  the  number  of  their  skel- 
etons lying  about  the  cami),  that  the  atmosphere, 
throughout  the  entire  vicinity  for  miles,  is  rendered 
impure  and  even  offensive.  Nothing  of  this  kind. 
I  believe,  can  offend  the  olfactories  of  a  ^lexican. 


100  LETTERS    FROM 

The  sheep  Avith  which  this  ranch  is  stocked, 
ure  subdivided  in  flocks  of  tliree  thonsand  to  live 
thousand,  and  each  division  placed  in  charge  of  a 
shepherd,  who  watches  over  them,  by  day  and  by 
night,  like  the  shepherds  of  old,  but  with  this 
ditference,  perhaps,  that  he  gathers  the  sheep  into 
a  corral  or  pen  at  night,  and  then  betakes  himself 
to  his  eight-by-ten  board  cabin,  next  the  enclos- 
ure, and  there  cooks,  eats  and  sleeps  as  best  he 
can,  with  no  other  associates  than  his  sheep  and 
faithful  dog.  His  life  is  truly  a  lonely  one,  and 
yet  he  seems  happy  in  the  companionship  of  his 
sheep  and  dog,  who  understand  his  signs  and  his 
whistle,  and  even  the  import  of  his  Avords,  and 
obey  him  with  a  child-like  confidence  in  his  supe- 
rior wisdom  and  intelligence.  The  annual  clip  of 
wool  from  the  sheep  of  this  ranch,  is  said  to  be 
about  two  hundred  thousand  pounds.  It  is  of  the 
finest  quality,  and  sells  at  a  high  price  in  the 
eastern  market.  Add  to  the  income  from  the 
wool  the  annual  product  of  twenty  thousand 
lambs,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  wool-growing  is  a 
very  profitable  business  in  California. 

In  some  parts  of  the  coast  range,  there  are 
numbers  of  very  extensive  dairy  ranches.  One 
ranch  in  Marin  bounty,  containing  sixty  thousand 
acres,  is  stocked  with  over  three  thousand  head  of 
milch  cows.    Some  fifteen  or  twenty  other  ranches 


THK    rVClFK'    SLOI'K.  101 

keep  from  three  hundred  to  a  tliousaiid  head. 
Tlie  most  productive  part  of  the  year  f(jr  ])utter 
and  cheese,  commences  in  Xovem])er  and  ends  in 
June.  After  that  i)eriod  the  grass  dries  up,  and 
is  converted  into  standinir  liay.  under  the  influ- 
ence of  a  hurning  sun  and  cloudless  sky.  And 
yet  it  is  said  that  a  good  milch  cow  will  produce 
from  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  a  hundred  and 
seventy-tive  pounds  of  hutter,  annually,  or  nearly 
twice  that  amount  of  cheese. 

The  largest  cheese  ever  made  in  the  world, 
was  made  on  one  of  these  dairy  ranches.  It  was 
made  during  the  late  war,  and  weighed  four  thous- 
and pounds.  It  was  sold  in  San  Francisco  at 
flfty  cents  a  pound,  for  the  henefit  of  the  "  Sani- 
tary Fund."  The  hutter.  as  Avell  as  the  cheese,  is 
manufactured  hy  steam  power.  In  this  business, 
fortunes  may  he  made  or  lost  in  a  single  year. 
Little  things  cannot  be  done  in  California;  it 
must  be  great  things  or  nothing. 


LETTER  XIII. 


Anaheim,  NovimhIht  itJtli,  istiit. 

This  is  a  beautiful  little  Geniuui  city.  *■' the 
loveliest  of  the  plain."  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  Santa  Ana  river.  The  name  of  the  town  com- 
bines the  German  word  "home"  with  the  name  of 
the  river.  A  German  company  inirchased  the 
site,  consisting  of  one  thousand  acres,  some  fifteen 
years  ago,  and  laid  it  out  in  city  lots,  with  broad 
streets  i-unning  at  right  angles.  Each  lot  con- 
tains twenty  acres,  and  is  planted  Mith  a  vineyard. 
In  other  words,  it  is  a  city  of  vineyards,  and  takes 
the  lead  in  California  as  a  wine  district.  The 
quality  of  its  wine  is  excellent,  and  the  amount 
annually  produced,  very  large.  The  wine  is  sold 
by  the  pipe,  and  goes  to  dealers  in  San  Francisco, 
who  bottle  it  and  put  it  into  the  market.  They 
paid  but  twenty  cents  a  gallon  for  the  product  of 
this  year,  and  sell  it  bottled  at  the  rate  of  three 
dollars  per  gallon.     Much  of  it  is  shipped  east. 


Tin;  I'Acii-ic  sLoi'K.  10:5 

We  visited  several  of  tlie  vineyiirds,  and  wen- 
delisflited  Avitli  their  heautv  and  tlie  skill  maiii- 
fested  ill  tlu-ir  culture.  The  cultivators  say,  how- 
ever, that  they  are  not  paid  for  their  labor  at  the 
l)resent  price  of  wine,  and  some  of  them  have 
already  introduced  the  raisin  grape,  and  propose, 
hereafter,  to  grow  raisins  instead  of  wine.  We 
saw  some  of  the  raisin  grapes :  the  raisins  made 
from  them,  are  excellent,  quite  equal  to  the  best 
Smyrna  raisins.  The  jirocess  (»f  manufacture  is 
sim})le — nothing  more  than  drying  the  grapes  in 
the  sun  on  a  board  platform,  and  then  packing 
them  in  boxes.  The  juices  of  the  grape,  in  the 
process  of  drying,  crystallize  and  coat  the  fruit 
with  sugar.  In  this  culture,  women  and  children 
can  be  employed  with  equal  advantage,  and,  for 
the  product,  there  is  everywhere  a  ready  market 
at  remunerative  prices. 

In  one  of  the  fruit  oreliards  here,  we  saw  an 
appletree  loaded  Avith  the  second  crop  of  apples 
which  it  has  borne  this  year.  They  were  of  me- 
dium size,  and  would  ripen  in  January.  The  fruits 
in  California,  esi)ecially  apples  and  grapes,  are 
much  milder  in  flavor  than  those  grown  in  the 
Eastern  States.  Belmonts  become  nearly  sweet, 
and  Rhode  Island  greenings  lose  their  acidity  in 
a  good  degree,  while  grapes,  of  whatever  variety, 
acquire    a   degree  of   sweetness  which   is  almost 


104  I.K'nKKS    I-KOM 

sickening,  as  conipitrcd  willi  the  eastern  eatawba. 

In  returning  IVuni  the  sheep-ranch  to  this 
vine-clad  city.  Me  crossed  several  large  rivers, 
nearlv  half  a  mile  wide,  Init  with  channels  dry  as 
a  sand  desert.  In  this  country,  most  of  the  rivers 
become  dry  in  summer,  or  so  low  that  the  water, 
what  little  there  is  at  different  points,  sinks,  and 
is  lost  in  the  sand  ;  })erhaps  in  underground  cur- 
rents. But,  in  the  rainy  season,  the  rivers  often 
overflow  their  l)anks  and  flood  the  country,  far 
and  near,  nuiking  it  extremely  dangerous  to  cross 
them  with  teams.  As  yet,  there  are  no  bridges  or 
ferry  boats.  The  quicksands  in  the  beds  of  the 
streams,  increase  the  danger  of  passing  them.  It 
often  happens  that  horses,  wagons,  and  all,  go 
down,  and  sometimes  are  lost. 

Southern  California  is  almost  etirely  destitute 
of  valuable  timber.  In  some  directions  you  might 
go  a  hundred  miles  and  not  be  able  to  cut  a  walk- 
ing stick.  There  are,  of  course,  no  fences.  Every- 
body's herds  and  flt)cks  graze  where  they  please, 
unless  watched  by  herders.  It  is  bewildering  to 
ride  through  the  vast  plains  of  tall  grass  and  Avild 
mustard,  especially  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
when  vegetation  stands  erect,  though  dead  and 
dry  as  a  stubble-field.  The  mustard  grows  seven 
feet  high,  and  when  mature,  resembles  a  field  of 
ripened  rye.     It  is  of  good  quality,  and   is  often 


<  THE    PAflFlC    SI.Ol'K.  105 

gathered  and  sold  in  the  market  at  a  handsome 
profit.  Thousands  of  acres  are  densely  covered 
with  it,  and  in  traveling  through  it,  one  is  liahle 
to  get  lost.  The  country  is  so  level  and  smootli 
that  you  can  drive  a  team  in  any  direction  you 
please.  There  are  but  few  roads ;  in  many  parts 
of  the  country  nothing  more  than  trails  or  path- 
wavs.  It  seems  to  a  stranger  like  an  uninhal)ited 
land. 

Wild  game  is  veiy  abundant.  J]inumeral)k' 
squirrels,  gray  and  black,  burrow  in  the  ground 
for  Avant  of  trees,  and  may  1)e  seen  running  in  all 
directions.  The  coyotes,  a  kind  of  Avolf,  are  also 
numerous,  and  destructive  among  the  sheep.  In 
addition  to  these,  there  are  deer,  wildcats,  bears 
and  lions,  among  the  foot-hills  and  higher  moun- 
tains, and  acres  of  wild  geese  iiying  in  the  air,  or 
feeding  along  the  lagoons  and  water  courses. 
There  are  two  distinct  varieties  of  geese,  the  white 
and  the  black.  We  also  saw  rabbits  in  al)undance, 
as  well  as  multitudes  of  quails,  hawks,  crows,  and 
buzzards.  Blackbirds  in  flocks  follow  the  sheep, 
and  often  light  on  their  backs,  picking  the  grass- 
seeds  lodged  in  their  avooI,  and  riding  along  at 
leisure.  The  sheep  submit  with  perfect  indiffer- 
ence.    It  is  a  novel  sight. 

Beside  all  this  variety  of  game,  there  are 
plentv  of  wild  hogs  running  about  in  the  marshes 


106  LP^TTEIIS    FROM 

and  l)rii.sli  thickets.  They  belong  to  anybody  wlio 
can  catch  or  kill  them.  In  some  parts  of  this  re- 
gion "vve  saw  hundreds  of  acres  of  corn,  as  stout 
as  ever  grew,  for  which  there  is  no  market.  As 
many  as  one  thousand  and  forty  kei'nels  have  been 
known  to  grow  on  a  single  ear.  Pork  Ijrings  a 
high  pi'ice.  and  so  for  want  of  tame  hogs  to  con- 
sume the  corn,  the  ranchmen  catch  and  fatten  the 
wild  ones,  and  thus  make  their  corn  crops  availa- 
ble. Hunting  and  catching  wild  hogs  is  an  excit- 
ing business,  and  requires  skill  and  experience. 
They  are  pursued  with  trained  dogs  and  lassooed. 
This  is  rare  sport  Ibr  a  Mexican. 

We  had  thought  of  visiting  San  Diego,  the 
border  town  in  tSouthern  C^alifornia.  but  on  meet- 
ing with  a  relial)le  personal  friend,  who  had  just 
returned  from  there,  and  who  gave  us  a  particular 
description  of  the  place  and  its  vicinity,  we  aban- 
doned the  idea.  The  part  known  as  the  '•  old 
town,"  is  located  some  distance  from  the  harbor, 
and  is  settled  ])rincipally  by  Mexicans.  It  is  built 
of  adobe,  with  a  broad  common,  or  plaxa,  in  the 
center.  The  bay  is  said  to  be  as  commodious  and 
safe  as  that  of  San  Francisco.  The  Southern 
Pacific  IJailroad  is  to  terminate  here,  and  make  a 
direct  connection  with  the  Asiatic  trade.  When 
this  is  done,  San  Diego  must  become  the  formida- 
ble  rival    of  San    P^'rancisco.     in   anticipation  of 


THK    l"A(II-I<     M.oi'K.  1(17 

this  ivsnlt.  .speoulutors  I'fom  aln-diul  are  coiKrn- 
trating  liere,  and  purchasing  lands  and  city  lots 
at  extravagant  })riccs.  In  fact,  several  new  towns 
along  the  line  of  the  hay  have  lieen  plattetl  and 
built  within  the  last  six  months.  The  houses  are 
of  the  most  temporary  character,  little  else  than 
hoard  cabins;  yet  they  command  an  exhor])itant 
rent,  and  sell  at  fabulous  prices.  It  is  said  that 
jiarties  in  the  railroad  interest  have  not,  as  yet, 
made  any  investment  here  in  real  estate,  but  have 
viewed  the  ground,  and  doubtless  knoAv  what  they 
intend  to  do,  and  at  Avhat  point  on  the  bay  the 
road  will  terminate.  Neither  at  the  old  or  new 
towns  is  the  water  deep  enough  to  admit  a  tirst 
class  shij)  to  approach  nearer  shore  than  half  a 
mile.  Thei-e  is  a  point  some  five  or  ten  miles  up 
the  bay,  where  the  Avater  is  deep  enough  for  the 
largest  ships  to  approach  close  to  shore,  and  there, 
as  our  friend  says,  the  future  town  will  be  built 
and  the  road  terminate. 

The  future  of  San  Diego  is  destined  to  be 
brilliant.  Its  bay  is  capacious,  and  being  the  ter- 
minus of  the  southern  trans-continental  railway, 
it  cannot  fail  to  become,  at  least,  the  second  great 
city  of  the  Pacitic  coast.  At  present,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  ascertain  the  exact  point  where  the  pro- 
jected railway  will  terminate;  yet  the  land  specu- 
lators are  ]»urchasing  and  selling  city  lots  to  each 


108  LETTERS    FliOM 

other,  und  surveying"  new  cities  along  the  line  of 
the  bay,  for  miles  away  from  actual  settlements. 
Money  is  plenty,  and  fortunes  are  said  to  he  made 
ill  a  day.  This  may  be  true  in  a  very  feAv  instan- 
ces. But  the  expenses  of  living  have  become 
extravagant,  for  the  reason  that  there  is  a  scarcity 
of  provisions  and  of  hotels.  The  surrounding 
country  is,  for  the  distance  of  forty  miles  or  more, 
nothing  but  a  sand  desert,  on  which  not  even  a 
blade  of  grass,  or  shrub,  or  plant  grows,  except 
the  cactus.  In  some  directions  the  territory  is  so 
encumbered  by  this  bristling  plant — the  terror  of 
man  and  beast — tliat  it  costs  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  dollars  an  acre  to  clear  it. 

The  country,  generally  in  this  region,  is  as  bar- 
ren as  the  desert  of  Sahara.  Sohie  attempts  have 
Ix'en  made  to  sink  wells,  l)ut  without  much  suc- 
cess. It  is  claimed,  hoAvever.  that  the  soil,  though 
nothing  but  white  sand,  will  produce  grain,  fruits 
and  vegetables  in  perfection,  if  irrigated.  But  as 
there  are  no  living  streams  of  water,  this  cannot  be 
done  to  any  considerable  extent.  Eain  seldom 
falls,  and  what  is  still  worse,  a  hot  wind,  a  peri- 
odical sirocco,  generated  in  the  vast  sand  deserts 
of  Arizona,  comes  sweeping  over  the  plains,  and 
along  the  coast  in  the  direction  of  San  Diego, 
withering  every  green  plant,  vegetable  and  tree, 
whicli  vdu  attein))t   to  rear  by  the  process-of  irri- 


TIIH    rACIFlC    S1A)1'K.  109 

gatioii.  Ill  an  agricultural  point  of  yie^v.  the 
lauds  are  wortliloss.  Yet  the  railway,  when  com- 
pleted, will  bring  the  needed  supplies,  and  in  time, 
build  u])  at  this  ])oint  a  great  commercial  city. 


LETTER  XIY. 


Los  Ai\GEr-KS,  Novt'inber  18th,  18ti9. 

From  Antilic'ini  ^\^v  returned  by  sttige  to  this 
ancient  City  of  the  Angels.  Myself,  wife,  and  an 
Englishman  were  the  only  passengers  who  took 
seats  in  the  coach  at  Anaheim.  The  coachman, 
accompanied  with  an  armed  guard,  sat  on  the 
outside.  The  distance  between  the  two  cities  is 
about  forty  miles,  and  the  region  through  which 
we  had  to  pass,  is  for  the  most  part  wild  and  un- 
inhabited. A  few  weeks  prior  to  this  time  the 
stage  coach  had  been  waylaid  on  this  route,  and 
all  the  passengers  r<)l)bed  of  their  money  and 
other  valuables. 

"When  we  arrived  at  the  first  station,  a  man  of 
middle  age  took  passage  with  us.  His  manner  of 
entering  the  coach  and  his  general  appeai'ance, 
were  anything  but  i)repossessing.  lie  looked 
rough,  seedy  and  sunburnt,  Init  said  nothing.  I 
soon  discovered  that  he  carried  in  a  leathern  belt. 


THE    PACIFIC    SI.OPK.  Ill 

beneath  his  coat,  a  b(»\vii'  kniiV'  ami  i)i,stol,  whicli, 
in  liis  restless  iiiovenieiits,  were  exposed  to  view. 
This  gave  the  Englishman,  as  well  as  myself  and 
wife,  some  uneasiness  in  regard  to  his  real  char- 
acter and  intentions.  His  face  wore  a  fiendish 
expression,  as  he  scanned  us  occasionally  with  a 
critical  eye.  He  seemed  puzzled  to  determine  in 
his  own  mind  who  we  were,  or  where  to  place  us. 
At  last,  addressing  first  the  Englishman,  and  then 
myself,  he  asked  where  we  resided.  The  English- 
man replied  at  Los  Angeles.  Eegarding  this  as 
the  most  politic  reply,  I  made  the  same  answer. 
He  evidently  doubted,  but  made  no  further  enqui- 
ries. We  were  now  passing  the  most  desolate  part 
of  the  route,  a  marshy  tract  of  country,  full  of 
ambuscades.  Here  he  thrust  his  head,  every  few 
moments,  outside  the  coach,  looking  this  Avay  and 
that  way,  intently  and  anxiously,  as  if  ex[)ecting 
aid  or  pursuit,  and  then  would  nervously  place  his 
hand  on  his  pistol  and  adjust  it  to  his  right  side, 
where  he  could  readily  grasp  it  at  any  moment. 

In  a  short  time  we  emerged  into  an  open 
}»lain  of  vast  extent,  bordered  by  the  s])urs  of  the 
neighboring  mountains  on  our  right.  1  lere  we  saw 
two  sinister  looking  Mexicans,  who  were  mounted 
on  horses  and  belted  with  pistols,  heading  in  the 
direction  of  the  mountains.  Our  seedy  fellow- 
passenger  watched  their  movements  with   intense 


112  '    I.ETTEKS    I-'HO.M 

interest,  and  with  evident  discippointuient.  Why 
they  were  objects  of  so  much  interest  to  him,  or 
what  connection  they  might  have  had  with  him, 
is  more  tlian  I  can  say.  But  his  appearance  and 
the  circumstances  gave  us  unpleasant  impressions, 
and,  in  fact,  somewliat  alarmed  us.  The  English- 
man, like  myself,  was  unarmed.  He  had  but 
recently  arrived  from  England,  and  was  possessed 
of  considerable  money,  Avhicli  he  desired  to  invest 
in  California  lands.  This  I  had  learned  from  him 
before  leaving  Anaheim,  and  thought  it  possible 
the  fact  might  be  known  to  our  suspicious  looking 
fellow-passeuger.  Hut  Avhen  we  reached  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city,  he  leaped  like  a  tiger  from  the 
coach  and  disappeared.  We  all  felt  relieved,  and 
congratulated  ourselves  on  the  happy  riddance. 
The  next  day  we  heard  that  he  was  one  of  the 
bandits  who.  a  few  weeks  previously,  had  waylaid 
the  stage  in  the  night,  at  a  jioint  near  the  city, 
and  i)lundered  the  passengers,  lie  had  agreed,  it 
was  said,  to  turn  State's  evidence  against  his  asso- 
ciates in  crime,  wli<^  had  been  arrested,  and  thus 
secure  his  own  escape  from  the  penalties  of  the 
law.  For  having  made  this  agreement,  he  proba- 
bly feared  assassination  by  tlie  hand  of  some  one 
wdio  belonged  to  the  same  secret  organization  as 
himself  It  was  mainly  on  his  testimony  that  his 
comrades  were  convicted,  and   sent  in  chains   to 


Tin:  !\\(ii-i<    si.oi'K.  113 

the  iK-nitcntiarv.  In  a  few  weeks  iifterwards  the 
witness  himself  was  shot  liy  some  unknown  per- 
son, and  left  to  die  by  the  wayside,  near  the 
identical  spot  where  lie  liad  assisted  in  eoniniitting 
tlie  ori(]^inal  robbery. 

While  remaininfi:  at  Los  Angeles,  we  visited 
some  of  the  spots  of  the  most  interest — the  court 
honse — the  old  cathedral,  built  in  1T73,  and  the 
hill  that  overlooks  the  town,  where  Gen.  Fremont, 
in  the  war  with  Mexico,  entrenched  the  forces  un- 
der his  command,  and  held  the  city  in  subjection. 
The  entrenchments  are  still  to  be  seen.  AVhile 
here,  the  (leneral  observed  symptoms  of  revolt  in 
the  movements  of  the  Catholic  priesthood,  on  a 
Sunday,  at  the  church,  under  the  guise  of  relig- 
ious services ;  and  seeing  armed  men  jiassing  in 
and  out,  ordered  a  cannon  shot  to  ])e  fired  in  that 
direction,  which  struck  the  gable-end  window  and 
passed  through  the  church,  in  the  walls  of  which 
the  ball-hole  still  remains  visible.  The  result  was 
a  grand  scare,  short  prayers,  and  a  sudden  exit  of 
the  congregation.  This  unexpected  mixture  of 
prayers  and  powder  did  not  agree  very  Avell  with 
either  the  religious  views  or  })atriotic  feelings  of 
the  Mexicans.  The  last  battle  with  the  Mexicans, 
Avliich  occurred  in  this  region,  was  fought  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  San  Gabriel,  within  a  few  miles 
of  ihe  city.     This  proved  decisive.     Annexation 


114  LETTEKS    1-KOM 

soon  followed.  But  many  of  the  richer  Mexiciuis 
disliked  annexation,  and  removed  to  Mexico. 
Those  who  remained,  still  rrtaiii  their  jnrnier 
habits  and  customs.  Their  ])]'inci[)al  occupation 
seems  to  be  idling,  o-amhlino-.  i-icing.  cock-fighting 
and  drinking. 

Tlie  main  street  oi"  the  city  is  about  a  mile 
long.  The  south  half  is  occui)ied  almost  exclu- 
sively by  Mexicans;  the  north  half  mostly  by 
Americans.  The  style  of  l)uilding  distinguishes 
very  plainly  the  difference  in  taste  and  character 
of  the  two  nationalities.  In  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  the  city  are  several  very  fine  fruit 
orchards  and  gardens,  which  are  much  visited  and 
admired  1)y  strangers.  We  have  met,  while  here, 
several  southern  gentlemen,  who  were  distinguish- 
ed, officers  in  the  war  of  the  llebellion,  and  Avho 
have  located  themselves  on  ranches  near  Los  An- 
geles, and  are  now  engaged  in  growing  wool  and 
fine  horses.  They  are  gentlemen  in  every  sense  of 
the  word,  and  submit  to  the  new  condition  of 
things  with  becoming  grace  and  a  genial  temper. 
They  say  they  prefer  a  whiteman's  government, 
and  confidently  })redict  that  negro-freedom  will 
prove  a  failure — a  misfortune,  alike,  both  to  the 
white  and  the  black  race. 

The  Union  Hotel  has  the  lead.  Here  we  find 
the  best  of  company  and  the  best  of  accMnmoda- 


THE  I'Aciric  si.oi'i;.  115 

tiiiiis.  'i'lierc  aiv  several  other  good  Jiotel.:).  all  of 
wli it'll,  as  well  as  the  Union,  are  overflowing  with 
guests  at  tlic  pivsi'nt  tinu'.  You  will  sec  licre  but 
very  iV-w  hidies,  either  at  the  hotels  or  on  the 
streets.  There  is  just  now  a  rush  of  adventurers 
and  land  s])eeulators  to  this  point,  who  are  at- 
tempting to  make  fortunes  by  overreaehing  each 
other.  Yt't  we  have  noticed  the  arrival  of  some 
families,  who  propose  to  become  permanent  citi- 
zens. City  lots  have  advaneed  rajiidly  within  the 
last  few  months,  and  the  prospect  of  a  railway 
connecting  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles  with  San 
Francisco,  has  had  a  magic  efiect  in  direeting  pub- 
lic attention  to  this  region.  The  citizens  here  are 
juliilant,  and  seem  disposed  to  indulge  in  ex- 
travagant expectations.  As  yet,  however,  business 
appears  to  be  done  on  a  limited  scale.  'J'he  mer- 
chants, small  and  large,  occupy  main  street.  More 
than  half  the  shops  are  devoted  to  the  sale  of  fiuits, 
refreshments,  or  whiskey,  interspersed  with  an 
undue  proportion  of  gambling  saloons.  In  and  ^ 
about  these  shops  you  meet  with  all  nationalities, 
and  a  mixture  of  all  colors.  Nearly  all  the  living 
languages  of  Europe,  Asia  and  America,  are  spo- 
ken here.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  distinguish 
the  Indians  from  the  Mexicans,  the  two  races  have 
l)ecome  so  intermixed.  There  is  a  large  ranch, 
consisting,  as  Ave  are  told,  of  a  hundred  thousand 


IIG  LKTTKliS    FKOM 

acres  or  more,  situated  just  nortli  of  the  city, 
whicli  is  owued  by  an  Indian,  an  old  chief,  who 
refuses  to  sell,  it  or  any  part  of  it  to  a  white  man, 
fearing  if  ho  were  to  do  so,  that  some  sudden  ca- 
lamity would  befall  him  and  the  remnant  of  his 
race.  This  refusal  seriously  retards  the  progress 
of  the  city,  as  well  as  the  adjoining  country. 
The  old  chief  lives  on  a  slender  income  from  his 
herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  or  nither  from  the  few 
whicli  are  not  stolen  from  him.  The  white  citi- 
zens are  attempting  to  force  him  to  sell  his  lands, 
by  laws  imposing  a  high  rate  of  taxation. 

Los  Angeles  is  the  central  point  of  business 
operations  in  Southern  California.  The  lands 
that  surround  it  are  fertile  and  desirable,  and 
must  eventually  become  valuable.  In  fact,  all  the 
valley  lands  among  the  neighboring  mountains 
are  rich  in  point  of  soil,  and  only  wait  the  advent 
of  the  agriculturalist  to  give  ample  evidence  of 
their  capabilities  and  productions.  About  sixty 
miles  south-easterly  from  the  city,  there  is  an  ex- 
tensive tract  of  rich,  level  land,  known  as  the  San 
Bernardino  Valley.  The  climate  is  delightful  the 
year  round,  and  thither  the  swelling  tide  of  emi- 
gration, with  a  Aiew  to  actual  settlement,  is  at 
present  directed.  Every  one  who  has  visited  this 
beautiful  valley,  s])eaks  of  it  in  glowing  terms. 
Tlie  lands  can  be  obtnined  at  Government  price, 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOl'E.  117 

or  h\  acquiring  pre-emi)ti<)ii  rights.  There  is 
more  or  less  valuable  timber  to  l)e  found  in  the 
gorges  of  the  mountains,  and  much  of  the  land 
can  be  irrigated  by  diverting  the  natural  streams 
of  water. 

But,  at  present,  the  valley  is  somcAvhat  diffi- 
cult of  access,  and  far  from  market.  The  roads 
are  simply  trails,  and  exceedingly  rough  along 
the  mountain  passes.  Yet  a  good  man}'  families 
have  already  settled  tliere,  and  will  ultimately  re- 
alize,their  most  sanguine  expectations,  if  one  may 
judge  from  the  expression  of  common  sentiment 
in  regard  to  the  promising  future  of  that  region. 
The  adjoining  mountains  are  said  to  be  rich  in 
mineral  wealth,  such  as  coal,  gold  and  iron.  Our 
stage  acquaintance,  the  Englishman,  had  visited 
this  valley,  and  was  (juite  enchanted  with  its  fer- 
tility and  beauty.  He  regretted  the  want  of  law 
and  order,  and  rel^^ted  an  occurrence  Avhich  took 
place  while  he  was  there.  A  traveler,  on  horse- 
back, while  a})proaching  the  valley  through  a 
mountain  gorge,  Avas  attacked  by  three  ruffians, 
robbed  of  his  money,  watch,  horse  and  clothing, 
and  left  to  find  his  Avay.  as  best  he  could,  to  some 
habitation.  In  the  wilder  portions  of  California, 
crimes  of  this  character  are  committed  almost 
daily.  Pistols  and  pluck  are  the  only  safe-guards 
on  which  you  can  rely  in  such  emergencies.     It  is 


118  LETTERS    FROM 

never  safe  here  to  go  unarmed,  or  travel  alone,  es- 
pecially if  you  are  well  dressed,  or  display  golden 
ornaments  on  your  person. 

Here  I  must  conclude  for  the  present.  At 
eleven  this  morning  we  leave  the  city  for  San 
Francisco;  by  rail  to  Wilmington,  and  thence  by 
sea.  It  is  Thanksgiving  Day,  and  I  knoM'  not 
Avhere  we  shall  dine ;  certainly  not  Avith  our  old 
tried  friends  at  home.  Pleasant,  indeed,  are  the 
many  reminiscences  connected  with  the  thanks- 
givings of  the  past ;  the  intermingling  at  the  old 
homestead  of  youth  and  age,  eating,  drinking, 
laughing,  joking,  dancing  and  story-telling.  0, 
that  I  were  at  home  and  young  again — wouldn't  I 
have  a  gav  old  time  of  it  ?     Good  l)ve  I 


LETTEE  XV. 


Ban  Francisco,  December  5th,  1869. 

"We  came  up  tlie  coa.st  on  the  steamer  Orizaba, 
having  left  Los  Angeles  on  thanksgiving  day. 
The  sea  Avas  rough,  and  soon  after  stepping  on 
board,  we  concluded  to  defer  eating  our  tlianks- 
giving  dinner  till  next  year.  AVe  tried  to  take  it 
easy,  but  felt  very  nneasy,  and,  in  all  we  had  to 
say  and  do,  manifested  'a  critical  taste,  decidedly 
squeamisli.  In  fact,  we  were  in  a  critical  mood — 
moodish — and  remained  so  for  nearly  three  days, 
when  Ave  lifted  np  our  eyes  and  beheld  the  Golden 
Gate,  the  gate  of  deliverance,  feeling  truly  thank- 
ful that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  dry  land. 

On  the  way  I  took  but  few  notes,  and  saw  but 
little  worth  noting.  A  screaming  flock  of  sea- 
gulls, a  shark  and  a  brigade  of  porpoises  followed 
the  ship  during  the  entire  voyage.  We  amused 
ourselves  in  looking  over  the  taffrail  at  the  gliding 
porpoises,  and  in  flinging  fragments  of  food  over- 


120  LETTERS    FROM 

board  to  the  seagulls,  who  would  descend  like  a 
flock  of  hungry  chickens,  and  seize,  in  a  moment, 
the  floating  morsels. 

The  line  of  the  coast,  for  nearly  the  whole 
distance  of  four  hundred  miles,  is  abrupt,  chalky 
and  barren.  It  has  neither  grass,  nor  tree  of  any 
kind  growiug  upon  it.  It  is  bordered  by  a  range 
of  hills  and  broken  mountains,  which  subside,  at 
different  points,  as  they  approach  the  sea,  into 
table  lands  of  considerable  extent.  The  coast  is 
uninhabited,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  town 
or  two,  and  so  monotonous  as  to  Aveary  the  eye 
with  its  uniformity.  About  the  only  landmark  of 
any  interest,  is  Point  Concepcion,  the  spur  of  a 
foot-hill  thrust  into  the  sea,  and  on  the  brow  of 
which  stands  a  Government  lighthouse,  with  a 
large  bell  swinging  in  its  tower.  When  our  steamer 
rounded  the  jioint,  the  lighthouse  bell  was  mer- 
rily rung  by  way  of  paying  the  customary  salute. 

In  San  Francisco,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  there 
are  wise  men — prophets  who  utter  their  annual 
predictions.  They  say  that  earthquakes  may  be 
expected  about  these  days.  The  severe  earth- 
quake, which  occurred  here  on  the  21st  of  October, 
1868,  was  so  peculiar  in  its  character,  as  to  attract 
the  attention  of  scientific  men,  who,  in  attempt- 
ing to  investigate  the  true  cause,  have  advanced 
some  ino;enious  theories. 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  121 

The  prevailing  modern  idea  seems  to  1)e  that 
earthquakes  result  from  electrical  action  in  the 
earth's  crust,  or  in  the  atmosphere,  simultaneous, 
perhaps,  in  both.  We  know  that  electricity  is  an 
invisible  force,  active  or  quiescent,  and  abounds 
everywhere,  in  a  positive  or  negative  state.  When 
the  equilibrium  has  been  disturl^ed,  whatever  the 
cause,  it  is  certain  that  it  will  be  restored  ])y  a 
like  cause.  The  action  of  the  electrical  forces 
may  or  may  not  be  instantaneous.  The  earth  is 
said  to  be  a  great  electrical  reservoir,  and  so,  in  all 
probability,  is  the  atmosphere  ;  the  one  positive, 
the  other  negative,  generally,  or  at  points ;  yet 
always  accumulating  force,  quietly,  or  violently, 
in  the  vain  endeavor  to  restore  a  perfect  equililjri- 
um.  Hence,  we  have  thunder  and  lightning  over- 
head and  earthquakes  under  foot.  The  forces  are 
the  same.  The  one  is  a  skyquake,  the  other  an 
earthquake.  The  one  would  seem  to  be  a  substi- 
tute for  the  other,  as  in  California,  where  they 
never  have  thunder  and  lightning,  but  are  amply 
compensated  by  frequent  eartlKpiakes.  For  eight 
or  nine  months  in  the  year  they  are  favored  with 
a  bright  sun  and  a  cloudless  sky.  When  the 
rainy  season  commences,  it  brings  with  it  violent 
electrical  changes,  resulting  not  in  thunder  and 
lightning,  but  in  earthquakes.  In  this  way.  it 
mav  he    ]ir('suined.    the    cquililn-iuin    is  ri'Stort'd. 


122  lettj:rs  from 

Fearful  as  earthquakes  may  seem,  I  doubt  not, 
many  more  persons  are  killed  by  lightning  than 
by  earthquakes.  The  subtle  influences  of  elec- 
tricity are,  indeed,  mysterious,  and  doubtless  con- 
stitute the  life-principle  which  pervades  all  life, 
whether  it  be  animal  or  vegetable. 

The  State  of  California  is  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  richest  in  the  Union.  Its  present  pop- 
ulation is  estimated  at  six  hundred  thousand. 
The  aborigines  number  about  forty  thousand,  but 
diminish  rapidly,  and  will  soon  disappear.  In 
natural  resources,  the  State  is  not  exceeded  by 
any  equal  extent  of  territory  in  the  world.  The 
valleys  and  foot-hills  extending  from  the  southern 
to  the  northern  limit  of  the  State,  are  but  a  suc- 
cession of  inexhaustible  wealth,  awaiting  the  labor 
and  skill  of  American  enterprise  to  develop  it. 
Here  is  silver,  and  gold,  and  bread,  in  abundance  ; 
enough  for  everybody  who  is  ready  and  willing  to 
work.  The  only  condition  imposed,  is  intelligent 
labor.  Nature  has  done  her  part,  and  now  invites 
man  to  do  his  part.  There  are  but  two  serious  ob- 
jections to  the  country;  one  is  the  want  of  timber, 
and. the  other  the  want  of  timely  rains  and  more 
living  streams.  There  are  some  places  in  the  moun- 
tains, where  red  wood  and  pine  abound,  which 
make  excellent  lumber  for  building  and  fencing 
])urposes.      The   California   laurel    is  a  beautiful 


THK    l'.V(II-I(-    SLOI'K.  \'i'.) 

wood,  receives  a  line  polish,  and  is  uiuch  used  for 
cabinet  work.  Yet  much  of  the  timber  is  quite 
inaccessible,  and  the  trans})(irtati(in  of  (^ucli  as  can 
be  obtained,  is  exceedingly  expensive.  Not  a 
ranch  or  farm  in  the  tState,  so  far  as  I  could  see 
or  learn,  is  fenced.  There  are  but  few  living 
springs  of  water.  Many  of  the  few  living  streams 
are  so  impregnated  with  alkali,  as  to  render  the 
water  unwholesome  and  dangerous  for  man  or 
beast  to  drink.  Here  and  there,  where  a  farmer 
can  control  a  mountain  stream,  and  divert  its 
Avaters  into  small  channels  so  as  to  flow  his  lands, 
he  can  obtain  luxuriant  ci'ops  of  every  kind,  grain 
and  fruits,  in  the  highest  perfection.  Yet,  the 
cost  of  erecting  plank  flumes  and  of  cutting  chan- 
nels, requires  an  outlay  which  but  fcAv  adventurers 
can  afford.  In  some  localities  artesian  wells  have 
been  obtained  at  moderate  expense.  Horticulture 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  larger  towns  i)roves  to  be  a 
profitable  pursuit.  The  gardeners,  who  are  devo- 
ted to  growing  vegetables  for  the  market,  require 
a  regular  supply  of  water,  which  they  obtain  from 
ordinary'  wells  and  elevate  into  tanks  by  a  Avind- 
mill  pump,  and  then  conduct  it  by  plank  flumes 
and  earth  channels  through  every  part  of  their 
grounds.  By  this  means  fresh  vegetables  and  the 
small  fruits  can  be  grown  and  the  towns  snjiplied 
throughout  the   year.     The    process  of  planting 


124:  lettj:rs  from 

and  gathering  at  the  same  time,  and  in  the  same 
gardens,  never  ceases.  Corn,  peas,  beans,  and 
other  vegetables  are  phmted  every  month,  and 
gathered  every  month,  and  may  be  seen  along  side 
of  each  other  at  all  times,  in  their  various  stages 
of  growth.  Only  think  of  it,  strawberries  freSh 
from  the  vines  every  day  in  the  year,  and  that  too, 
in  abundance.     Isn't  it  a  wonderful  country? 

The  periodical  winds  are  somewhat  disagreea- 
ble, and  prevail  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year. 
No  fruit  tree  or  ornamental  tree  can  be  grown 
without  artificial  irrigation  and  protection  against 
the  action  of  these  prevailing  winds.  You  must 
either  build  high  board  fences  to  protect  the  trees, 
or  plant  them  in  some  valley  or  on  some  hill-side, 
where  they  will  not  be  exposed.  Nearly  every 
tree  in  California  leans  in  the  direction  of  the 
prevailing  windb.  So  you  can  always  tell  '"  which 
way  the  wind  blows,"'  by  looking  at  the  trees,  if 
not  by  observing  the  laws  of  trade. 

Almost  everybody  here  is  a  speculator,  especi- 
ally in  San  Francisco,  where  they  are  constantly 
engaged  in  speculating  among  themselves  in  city 
lots.  In  fact,  they  have  done  so  much  at  it,  and 
at  such  exhorbitant  rates,  that  they  have  com- 
pletely shingled  the  city  over  with  mortgages. 
They  have  been  stimulated  by  the  idea  that  east- 
ern capitalists,  now   the  Pacific  railway  is  com- 


THE  i'acifk;  slope.  1-i'y 

pleted,  are  coming  with  a  rush  to  purcluiso  most 
of  the  city,  at  any  price.  The  quicker  this  idea 
explodes,  tlie  l)etter.  Tlie  ineYita])le  result  of  all 
this  must  be,  that  proi)erty  will  change  hands  at 
greatly  reduced  figures. 

In  California  you  can  regulate  the  climate  to 
suit  yourself  In  the  valleys,  it  is  perpetual  sum- 
mer. In  the  mountains,  you  can  have  all  the 
changes  of  the  four  seasons.  In  one  day's  travel 
you  can  reach  a  region  where  it  is  spring,  summer, 
fall,  or  Aviuter,  as  you  may  prefer.  It  is,  therefore, 
a  glorious  country  for  invalids,  as  well  as  for  peo- 
ple in  sound  health.  Here  you  have  all  the  luxu- 
ries, fruits,  flowers  and  vegetables,  which  either  a 
temperate  or  tropical  clime  can  produce.  AVhat 
more  can  one  wish  or  desire  ?  Yet  here,  as  else- 
where, I  believe  no  one  is  fully  satisfied  with  his 
condition  in  life. 

The  Asiatics  having  espied  out  this  "goodly 
land,*'  are  now  arriving  in  great  numbers,  with  a 
view  to  share  its  Avealth  and  test  its  capabilities. 
Here  they  say  they  can  grow  tea,  silk,  sugar  and  spi- 
ces as  Avell  as  in  their  own  country.  The  land  is 
cheaper  and  much  more  fertile.  The  cheap  table 
lands  they  regard  as  admii-ably  adapted  to  the 
silk  and  tea  culture.  In  a  few  years,  I  doul)t  not, 
the  foot-hills  and  elevated  table  lands  will  be 
crowned  with  the  tea  plant  and  the  mulberry,  and 


126  LETTERS    FROM 

the  valleys  enriched  with  extensive  fields  of  sugar 
cane.  But  the  Americans  will  still  retain  their 
power  and  controlling  influence ;  monopolize  the 
best  lands,  and  take  the  lead  in  all  lucrative  en- 
terprises. They  will  still  plan,  invent,  and  con- 
duct the  commerce  of  the  country.  The  Asiatic 
element  will  do  no  harm,  but  on  the  contrary,  aid 
in  promoting  a  rapid  development.  In  view  of 
what  has  already  been  achieved,  it  may  be  said, 
that  the  future  of  California  knows  no  limit. 
Yet  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  fluctuations  in  bus- 
iness affairs,  and  in  the  value  of  pro])erty,  often 
occur.     '"  All  is  not  gold  that  glitters."" 


LETTER  XYI. 


San  Francisco,  December  Tth,  18(39. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  California  presents 
more  points  of  natural  beauty  and  sublimity  than 
any  other  part  of  the  known  world.  It  abounds 
in  marvels  and  originalities.  Among  the  principal 
l)oints  of  interest  to  the  tourist,  are  the  Yosemite 
\'alley,  the  Big  Trees,  and  the  Geysers.  The  first 
is  indescribable  ;  the  second  incredible  ;  and  the 
third  infernal ;  and  yet  they  all  actually  exist. 
Everybody  who  reads,  knows  as  much  about  them 
as  I  do,  and  perha^JS  more.  Owing  to  the  late- 
ness of  the  season,  I  did  not  visit  them  :  but  have 
heard  them  described  so  often,  by  friends  wlio  have 
visited  them,  that  I  can  readily  imagine  how  they 
appear,  and  especially  so,  since  these  masterpieces 
of  Nature's  Avork  have  many  duplicates,  scarcely 
less  magnificent,  which  I  have  seen.  Yet  the  Yose- 
mite Valley  will  always  l)e  spoken  of  1)y  tourists 
in  a  stvle  of  grandilonuriicc,  which   iniglit  induce 


128  LETTERS    FROM 

one.  vciT  })roper]_v.  to  ([iiestion  their  veraeity,  if 
not  their  sanity. 

This  wonderful  valley  may  l)e  described  as  ten 
or  twelve  miles  long  and  half  a  mile  wide,  made 
hy  splitting  a  mountain  range  through  the  back- 
bone, to  the  depth  of  five  or  six  thousand  feet ; 
then  leveling  the  base  by  filling  in  soil  and  plant- 
ing it  with  grass,  shrubs  and  flowers,  and  penciling 
it  with  silver  rills  and  rivulets  that  originate  in  out- 
side fountains,  and  come  dashing  over  the  valley's 
rocky  rim,  as  if  their  glittering  currents  fell  direct 
from  Heaven,  creating  a  mist  or  spray  resembling 
a  bridal  veil.  The  valley  has  ever  been  regarded 
l)y  the  Indians  as  l^ature's  Sanctuary,  where  the 
Great  Spirit  dwells.  But  now  }'ou  find  here  sev- 
eral hotels,  filled,  in  summer,  with  visitors,  who 
devote  themselves  to  sight-seeing,  frolic  and  fun, 
dancing,  cards  and  billiards.  These  unsanctified 
intrusions  on  Nature's  halloM'ed  retreat,  I  should 
think,  would  incur  her  displeasure,  if  not  shock 
her  moral  sense. 

There  are  some  twenty  groves  of  the  big  trees, 
which  liave  l>een  discovered  in  different  parts  of 
California.  The  most  noted  are  located  in  Mari- 
posa and  Calaveras  counties.  The  largest  trees 
are  thirty-five  feet  in  diameter,  three  hundred  feet 
high,  and  the  bark  two  feet  thick.  A  hollow  one 
that  has  fallen,  will  admit  sixteen  men  on  horse- 


THE    PACIFIC    SLOI'E.  12D 

back  Aery  ct)iufortably.  In  ascending  its  fjiUen 
trunk  you  have  to  clinil)  a  ladder  forty  feet  long. 
A  few  years  ago  a  section  of  one  of  these  hollow 
trees  \\  as  shijiped  to  T^ondon,  set  on  end,  and  used 
as  a  drinking  saloon.  It  proved  a  profitable  in- 
vestment. The  distance  from  8an  Francisco  to 
\'osemite  and  the  big  trees,  is  nearly  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  and  to  the  Geysers,  about  sixty 
miles.  In  visiting  the  Geysers,  your  moral  cour- 
age Avill  be  put  to  the  severest  test.  The  descent 
into  the  yawning  gulf  is  made  by  a  stage  coach, 
driven  by  an  expert,  and  is  not  only  very  piveip- 
itous,  but  hazardous.  Still  no  serious  accident 
has,  as^  yet,  happened.  When  you  i-each  this 
''  lower  region,"  you  find  yourself  in  a  narrow  can- 
yon, about  half  a  mile  long,  surrounded  by 
wizard  nooks  and  angles  of  the  wildest  character, 
and  standing  on  fiery  billows  that  roll  beneath 
your  feet.  Scalding  jets  of  steam  ascend  at  a 
hundred  different  points  about  you,  as  if  leaping 
from  a  caldron  boiling  beneath  the  soil.  In  many 
places  you  cannot  step  without  burning  the  soles  of 
your  boots.  The  springs  of  hot  and  cold  water 
are  so  near  each  other,  in  some  localities,  that  you 
can  thrust  one  hand  into  hot  and  the  other  into 
cold  water,  at  the  same  time.  In  many  spots  on 
the  surface  of  the  soil  ther.e  is  an  issue  of  noxious 
gases,  where  sulphur  deposits  itself  in  considerable 


130  LETTERS    FROM 

quantities.  The  first  discoverer  of  this  wonderful 
canyon,  which  is,  probably,  a  A^olcanic  crater  of 
ancient  date,  supposed,  Avlien  he  discovered  it,  that 
he  had  reached  the  outside  door  or  portico  of  the 
infernal  regions,  and  thus  impressed,  fled  in  dis- 
may, and  could  never  be  persuaded  to  make  a 
second  descent. 

Everywhere  in  the  mountains  of  the  Pacific 
Slope,  you  will  see  marked  evidences  of  volcanic 
action.  The  soil  is  red,  and  the  rocks  appear  to 
have  been  subjected  to  intense  heat,  and  are  some- 
times vitrified.  The  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley  has 
the  appearance  of  being  the  volcanic  subsidence 
of  a  mountain  chain — a  vast  crater  that  hiis  been 
filled  in  with  soil,  abraded  in  the  course  of  time 
from  the  adjoining  mountains  and  elevated  plains. 
The  lake  occupies  the  central  portion  of  the  orig- 
inal crater,  and  is  still  growing  narrower  by  the 
influx  of  soil.  On  the  sides  of  the  mountains  that 
encircle  it,  there  remains  a  distinct  Avater-mark, 
at  an  elevation  of  several  hundred  feet,  showing, 
beyond  a  doul)t,  that  this  was,  at  some  former  i^e- 
riod,  the  boundary  line  of  its  waters.  From  this 
fact,  it  is  evident  that  the  lake  has  subsided,  or 
that  the  bordering  mountains  have  been  elevated 
by  some  sudden  convulsion. 

Amid  the  lofty  mcftmtains  sloi)ing  into  the 
State  of  Nevada,  there  sleeps  a  lake,  called  Mono, 


THE    rAf'IFIC    SLOPE.  131 

about  seventeen  miles  long  and  nine  wide.  It  has 
no  outlet,  and  is  a  perfect  Dead  Sea.  No  animal 
life  can  exist  in  it.  Its  waters  are  composed  of 
chemical  constituents,  which  decompose  all  animal 
substances  in  a  short  time.  In  other  words,  it  is 
a  sea  of  })otas]i  held  in  solution,  of  the  strongest 
kind.  The  body  of  a  man  who  was  droAvned  in 
it,  and  even  his  clothing  and  boots,  were  almost 
entirely  consumed  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks. 
It  is  a  modern  wonder.  The  seven  Avonders  of 
the  world,  as  known  to  the  ancients,  amount  to 
nothing  as  compared  with  the  almost  innumerable 
Avonders  of  the  Pacific  .Slope. 

In  traveling  among  the  Sierras,  the  scenes  that 
surround  you,  look  where  you  will,  are  grand, 
vast,  and  sublime.  It  is  there  that  Xature  sits 
enthroned  in  sublimity ;  eloquent  in  her  silence; 
inire  in  her  sympathies ;  and  divine  in  her  sway. 
It  is  there  that  she  has  lifted  mountains  to  the 
skies,  and  sunk  valleys  to  invisible  depths.  It  is 
there  that  she  has  buried  dead  rivers  in  moun- 
tains that  Avere  once  valleys,  and  given  birth  to 
living  rivers  in  valleys  that  Avere  once  mountains. 
Her  volcanoes,  scattered  here  and  there,  are  but 
the  chimneys  of  her  Avorkshops.  The  Avealth  of 
her  sublime  empire  is  not  only  A'ast,  but  inexhaust- 
ible. In  fact,  every  mountain  is  a  bank  of  deposit- 
Whatever  she  does  financially,  she  does  on  a  specie 


132  LETTERS    FROM 

basis,  and  is  ever  ready  to  help  those  who  are  dis- 
posed to  help  themselves. 

Throughout  the  Pacific  Slope  yon  will  find, 
almost  at  every  step,  something  new ;  something 
that  will  surprise  yon.  It  is  a  region  entirely  un- 
like that  of  the  Atlantic  Slope.  In  the  Sierra 
Nevada  range  there  are  more  than  a  hundred 
mountain  peaks  that  pierce  the  heavens,  rising,  in 
some  instances,  to  the  height  of  fourteen  or  fifteen 
thousand  feet.  One  of  the  highest  is  Mount 
Shasta,  a  giant,  that  seems  to  recline  his  head,  like 
a  child,  on  the  bosom  of  God.  In  this  mountain 
frame-work  of  California,  you  catch  a  glimpse  of 
that  great  temple  which  was  built  without  hands. 
It  is  here,  in  these  cerulean  halls,  that  Sublimity 
and  Beauty  take  their  social  walks,  and,  stooping, 
smile  on  the  cradled  valleys  that  slumber  at  their 
feet.  In  some  places  yon  would  think  everything 
about  you  in  a  state  of  chaos.  It  looks  as  if  great 
masses  of  matter  still  remained  on  hand  after  the 
Avork  of  creation  had  been  finished.  On  entering 
a  region  of  this  character,  my  first  thought  was, 
that  I  had  caught  Nature  at  work  in  her  labora- 
tory, moulding  the  mountains  into  shape,  scooping 
out  the  valleys,  channeling  the  rivers,  and  planting 
here  and  there  a  few  favorite  evergreens.  I  really 
felt  as  if  I  had  blundered  into  her  presence  without 
rapping,  or  giving  her  an  opportunity  to  make 


THK    I'AriFIC    SLOI'K.  133 

her  toilette.  But  1  soon  discovered  tliat  Nature 
does  not  stand  on  ceremony,  and  that  her  native 
beauty  is  like  that  of  an  artless  maiden,  "  when 
unadorned,  adorned  the  most." 

Dead  rivers,  as  known  to  miners  in  California, 
are  such  as  have  been  dried  up  and  sealed  up, 
midway,  in  the  mountain  ranges  by  volcanic  ac- 
tion. Their  channels  are  reached  by  tunneling 
into  the  mountain  sides,  and  are  found  to  contain 
sand  beds,  worn  stones,  and  rich  deposits  of  gold, 
in  the  form  of  gold  dust  aud  nuggets.  It  is  said 
that  more  than  half  the  gold  mined  in  California, 
has  been  taken  from  these  dead  rivers.  They  lie 
at  about  the  same  height,  and  have  been  traced 
hundreds  of  miles. 

Nearly  three-fourths  of  the  ])opulation  on  the 
Pacific  coast  are  unmarried  men,  who  would  he 
very  glad  to  ennoble  their  manhood,  if  they  had 
the  opportunity.  In  this  connection,  I  might  as 
well  say  as  think,  that  if  the  supernumerary 
women  of  the  Eastern, States,  who  ure  now  clam- 
oring for  their  rights,  would  but  emigrate  to  this 
golden  land,  they  would  find  it  not  only  a  golden 
land,  but  would  soon  be  able,  like  the  Koman  ma- 
tron, to  point  to  their  jewels  Avith  a  conmiendable 
pride,  and,  perhaps,  realize  the  fact  that  "  a  cur- 
tain lecture,"  now  and  then,  is  vastly  more  effective 
than  public  lectures,  in  securiug  and  jiresei-viiig 
"•  woman's  rights." 


134  LETTERS    FROM 

And  now  let  me  say,  if  3'ou  want  to  see  a  new 
world,  go  to  California.  Yon  can  go  by  rail  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  in  seven  to  eight  days, 
running  night  and  day,  at  the  rate  of  about 
twenty-five  miles  an  hour.  After  the  second  day 
out,  you  will  not  tire,  if  you  take  a  sleeping  car ; 
for  you  then  become  accustomed  to  the  change ; 
sleep  w^ell,  eat  well,  and  enjoy  a  kind  of  home-life. 
The  passing  scenes,  as  you  gaze  from  the  car 
windows,  appear  like  a  revolving  panorama,  and 
constantly  present  to  the  eye  novelties  of  intense 
interest.  You  can  get  regular  meals  at  the  sta- 
tions on  the  way,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of 
two  days,  while  crossing  the  interior  mountain 
plains.  Even  there,  you  may  rely  on  getting  at 
least  one  good  '•'  square  meal "  a  day.  At  some 
points  the  water  is  objectionable,  being  too  alka- 
line to  be  drinkable  with  safety. 

By  taking  the  lightning  express  train,  which 
makes  the  through  trip  once  a  week  each  way, 
and  has  a  dining  car  attached,  you  will  be  accom- 
modated wath  every  '*'  creature  comfort "'  you  could 
possibly  desire,  and  would  be  led  to  think,  while 
on  the  route,  that  you  were  merely  boarding  at  a 
fashionable  hotel,  and  enjoying  the  best  of  society. 
Select  parties,  generally,  prefer  this  train ;  but 
I  should  much  prefer  the  daily  express.  There  is 
some  difference  in  the   expense,  but  not  much  in 


THE    I'ACIf'IC    SLOPE.  135 

the  running  time.  The  sleeping  curs  tUtaclied  to 
either  train  are  equally  elegant 'and  palatial.  In 
taking  the  daily  express,  you  meet  Avith  well  bred 
people,  and  can  make,  if  you  choose,  very  agreea- 
ble acquaintances.  Besides,  you  can  do  as  you 
please,  eat  at  the  stations,  or  resort  to  your  own 
supplies.  "  Variety,"'  you  know,  "  is  the  spice 
of  life." 

If  you  intend  to  make  the  trip,  I  should  advise 
you  to  take  along  with  you  a  basket  of  lunch,  a 
flask  of  brandy,  and  a  pocket  pistol.  If  you  have 
a  wife,  take  her  also ;  if  you  have  none,  maiTy  at 
once,  and  make  it  your  bridal  trip.  A  gentleman 
Avho  is  accompanied  with  his  wife,  is  sure  of  being 
treated  with  consideration  ;  but  if  he  travels  with- 
out a  lady  in  charge,  he  must  expect  to  be  regarded 
as  of  little  more  consequence  than  so  much  freight, 
A  word  to  the  wise  ought  to  be  sufficient. 


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